The calamity was real this time for riders of the Universal Studios Hollywood tram tour over the weekend as one of the cars hit a guardrail, sending 15 people to the hospital with minor injuries, Los Angeles fire officials said.
The Saturday night theme park ride – which over the years has simulated for tourists everything from earthquakes and floods to a shark attack and a plane crash – got real when the trailing car clipped a guardrail, tilted and ejected some of its passengers, according to a social media post from the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
No one was seriously injured. Fifteen of those who were hurt were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“The tram had just passed the Jurassic Park Cars and was making a turn to head northbound on Avenue M. Due to unknown reasons, while negotiating the turn onto Avenue M, the last car of the tram collided with a metal guardrail on the right side of the roadway causing it to tilt and eject multiple passengers from the tram,” police said in a subsequent statement.
The statement said the crash was still being investigated, and that drugs or alcohol are not suspected to be a factor.
“Saturday night on the Studio Tour, a tram collided with a guardrail while making a left turn,” Universal said in a statement to multiple media outlets. “Our thoughts continue to be with the guests who were involved, and we are thankful that based on agency reports, the injuries sustained were minor. We are working closely with public agencies, including the California Highway Patrol, as we continue our review of the incident and safety remains a top priority. We have resumed Studio Tour operations with a modified route and are reinforcing our operational and safety protocols.”
The tram tour is among Universal Studios’ most visited attractions. The slow-moving multi-car tram takes riders through the backlot and includes multiple stops, including famed movie sets and sophisticated simulations like King Kong- and “Fast & Furious”-themed special-affects sequences.
