Ride Said to Be OK Until Crash

Ride operators at Disney’s California Adventure told Anaheim authorities that the California Screamin’ roller coaster was functioning normally before the July 29 collision that hospitalized 17 people with minor injuries.

The statements were contained in police and fire reports released Tuesday. The ride remains closed as state investigators try to determine what caused one train to rear-end another that was stopped.

Three ride operators also told police that they “heard the brakes to the second coaster engage before it struck the front coaster,” according to the police report.

The coaster is one of the park’s most popular attractions. It catapults riders to 55 mph in less than 5 seconds, has a 108-foot drop and propels people upside-down through a silhouette of Mickey Mouse’s head.

Two months before the accident, state officials inspected the ride after Disney relocated one set of magnetic brakes and added two sets. Inspectors noted no safety hazards in their report.

Disneyland Resort spokesman Rob Doughty said that until the state investigation concluded, “we caution everyone against speculating until the report comes out because it will weed out what’s relevant to the cause and what’s not relevant to the cause.”