Tram Overturns At Weeki Wachee Springs

A tram overturned at Weeki Wachee Springs on Saturday, sending at least two people to the hospital with minor injuries.

The tram, called The Mermaid Express, was turning around near the attraction's boat dock a little before noon when the two cars of the three-car tram overturned, said park spokesman John Athanason.

One person was taken to Oak Hill Hospital, according to Hernando County Fire Rescue records. The patient's condition was unavailable Monday.

However, Michael Madison of Brooksville says he knows the woman and identified her as 25-year-old Yasmin De Jesus of Spring Hill.

Madison said De Jesus is a friend of his family who was riding the tram with his 11-year-old daughter Cheyenne Madison when it overturned. Michael Madison was not at the park at the time, but said he got a call that his daughter had been in an accident at the park.

"She was in shock, crying, shaking," Madison said of his daughter's condition when he arrived at the park. "She couldn't even form sentences, she was that shook up."

Madison said he took her to Oak Hill, where she was treated for minor injuries to her arm. The fifth-grader at Explorer K-8 felt well enough to go to school Monday, he said.

Reached Monday, De Jesus said she suffered a gash on her elbow and bruises on her arm. Her hand is swollen and she is "in a lot of pain," she said.

De Jesus said her first thought after the crash was about Cheyenne.

"I was concerned for her," she said.

The driver was visibly shaken after the crash, De Jesus said.

"He was shaking really bad," she said.

Athanason, who was in another area of the park at the time, said he didn't know which employee was driving that day and didn't have information on exactly how many people were in the tram at the time, but said it was "not overloaded." De Jesus said she recalls that the last car was empty.

The tram, pulled by a gas-powered vehicle designed to look like a train engine, gives visitors a tour of the attraction grounds. It's mainly designed for children but adults often ride along, Athanason said.

The tram makes the turn "many times a day" and has never had a problem, Athanason said. He said officials are trying to determine whether gusty winds played a role in the mishap and whether passengers may have been leaning too far out of the cars.

"It seems like some sort of freak accident," Athanason said.

De Jesus has her own theory about driver error: "I think he cut it too sharp."

Madison also said he wonders whether the driver may have tried to take the turn too quickly. He said he is waiting for answers from park officials, including what he should do about his daughter's medical bills.

The tram has been parked until officials have determined the cause of the mishap, Athanason said.