Train cars topple, injuring 7, at Silver Dollar City theme park in Missouri, videos show

Seven people were injured when a train derailed at Silver Dollar City, the Branson, Missouri, theme park said.

The derailment occurred Wednesday, Oct. 26, on the Frisco Silver Dollar Line Steam Train ride. Photos and video shared on social media show train cars toppled along the track.

Six park guests and one employee were taken by ambulance to medical facilities, according to Silver Dollar City. As of Thursday afternoon, six of the seven injured victims have been released from the hospital.

“At this time, we are wholeheartedly focused on providing support for guests and team members in partnership with Stone County first responders,” the park said.

There were about 160 passengers on the train, which has a maximum capacity of 250 people, according to the park.

A cause for the derailment was unknown as of Thursday morning. Missouri’s Division of Fire Safety said in a Twitter post Wednesday night it was investigating, and would continue its investigation Thursday.

“We got our money’s worth at Silver Dollar City today,” park guest Gary Eldridge said in a Facebook post. “Fortunately we were in the only car that didn’t flip over.”

Another passenger, Adam Swenka, said it will be a while until he is comfortable going on rides again. He said some guests were trapped inside the train and could only escape by scaling 10 feet to reach the top of the train car.

”I’m really surprised there weren’t more broken bones from the way the train car in front of us whipped into the ground,” Swenka added.

The Frisco Silver Dollar Line Steam Train takes passengers on a 20-minute ride along the Ozark countryside that surrounds the theme park, according to Silver Dollar City’s website.

This story was originally published October 27, 2022 at 8:35 AM with the headline "Train cars topple, injuring 7, at Silver Dollar City theme park in Missouri, videos show."