Ponytail May Have Triggered Whale Attack

ORLANDO -Cars are lining up to get into the parking lot at SeaWorld Orlando as it reopens a day after a whale dragged its trainer from a platform and killed her.

A sign at the parking attendants booth says Shamu Stadium, where the killer whales perform, is still closed.

Meantime,officials say trainers had to coax an aggressive whale into a smaller pool and use a platform to lift it out of the water before they could free a colleague from its jaws.

The Orange County Medical Examiner says 40-year-old trainer Dawn Brancheau probably died from multiple traumatic injuries and drowning after the killer whale pulled her into a pool at SeaWorld Orlando on Wednesday.

The county sheriff’s office says co-workers couldn’t immediately help her because the whale was so aggressive after it grabbed her by her pony tail and pulled her in.

The office says an investigation is continuing but there are no signs of foul play and all evidence indicates it was a tragic accident.