LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A miniature train that derailed and injured 22 people at the Louisville Zoo underwent daily inspections and passed a state examination in January, safety officials said Tuesday.
The zoo reopened at its normal time Tuesday morning while state investigators in charge of amusement rides worked to figure out why the train derailed Monday on ground-level tracks in a bend behind the gorilla exhibit. The train ride, which loops two miles around the zoo, remained closed.
One child, a 21-month-old girl, was critically injured when three open-air cars and the engine fell off the tracks. She was upgraded to serious condition Tuesday.
A 2-month-old boy remained hospitalized in good condition Tuesday evening.
Inspectors from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture returned to the zoo Tuesday to continue investigating, department spokesman Ted Sloan said.
Zoo officials allowed the media to take photos Tuesday, but officials did not answer any questions.
35-point checklist
Sloan said the ride operator must test and inspect the ride daily and that an inspection took place on Monday before the zoo opened for the day. The ride also passed an inspection on Jan. 22, before opening for the season and had received no prior complaints, Sloan said.
Zoo spokeswoman Kara Bussabarger said in an e-mail Tuesday night that drivers use a 35-point pre-trip checklist to inspect the train daily, including a check of items such as the wheels, brake pads, cables between cars, brake controls and any fluid leak.
Maintenance staffers also inspect the track at least once a month, and under state law, the Agriculture Department must inspect annually, with random inspections authorized, Bussabarger said. She said the zoo uses an internal certification process for train drivers.
The zoo said the attraction has been around for about 40 years, but the train that derailed was bought in 2000.
Officials said there were about 30 people on board when the train derailed.
by the associated press
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