Fun at the Zoo Ends for Indiana Family After Train Accident

An Indiana family was expecting a fun day at The Louisville Zoo in Kentucky with their 2-year-old son, when things went terribly awry. While riding the zoo’s train, the family was thrown off of the ride and onto the ground when the driver took a sharp turn too quickly. The toddler was allegedly bleeding from his head, while another male family member that was with the family at the zoo, was pinned under a section of the train, which broke his leg in several places with bones protruding through his skin.

The train driver was reportedly 18, the minimum age required by state law for operating rides such as the train. The family described her as flustered and distracted and she allegedly came by to pick up their tickets twice, forgetting she had already asked them once before. The train engine and cars ultimately flipped over on their sides behind the zoo’s popular Gorilla Forest Exhibit with 30 passengers aboard.

The family has filed suit seeking monetary damages for physical and emotional pain, as well as a temporary court injunction to prevent the zoo from altering or destroying the train and any other photographs, videotapes, or reports or statements made after the incident. Twenty-two other adults and children were taken to the hospital as a result of the accident, but have all been released.