Its October 18th, the 24th anniversary of the most tragic in my life and the lives of many others. This piece has been posted previously on line at various discussion lists and and originally at my Hot Times on the High Iron column. And a tradition begun last year, I also now post it on my regular Facebook page to share it with all of you in my effort to educate everybody about the dangers of railroad crossings and the importance of heeding the signals and warning signs at these crossings. Also to understand that anytime can be train time. Please feel free to share and forward this to all of your friends.
The weight differential between a freight train and your typical automobile is approximately 4,000 to 1, akin to placing a twelve ounce soda can on the road and driving your car over it, smashing it flat. Keep this weight ratio in mind as this story unfolds.
Whenever there is a collision between a train and a motor vehicle at a road crossing, media coverage tends to dramatize the event making it seem the train was gunning for the vehicle at the crossing. They often dehumanize the railroad and railroaders operating the train making it seem as it the train was operating on its own and wanted the collision. Needless to say, but I must say it anyway, this is far from the truth. As we all know, sensationalism is what gets the ratings. You are about to read my firsthand account of a fatal crossing collision involving a train I was operating and an automobile. This collision occurred while I was employed with the Wisconsin Central.
While training to become a Locomotive Engineer, we are really not prepared by our instructors in school for the eventuality of our train colliding with a motor vehicle. While there were a few mentions about what might occur, there was never any formal instruction on what to do if and when such an episode should take place. Not once was there a mention of what we should do in the moments immediately following a train/motor vehicle collision. Every action I took i
On my carrier Critical Incident Relief in the case of any fatalities is NEVER questioned, and in many cases is ordered at the time the crew initially reports the incident, even before fatalities are confirmed. Those relieved for a critical incident are then given professional counceling.
On my carrier, once the Division Manager was notified of the Trainmaster’s actions - that would have been his last night as a compesated non-contract (official) employee. There is no acceptable excuse EVER for a transportation officer to refuse to respond to such a incident when notified; additionally a Road Foreman of Engines should have been notified to secure whatever data recording information that was available on the locomotives. (I realize in 1989, the data that is taken for granted today was not available.)
The reality of operating trains on line of road - crossing accidents and fatalities will happen - it is not a matter of if, it is only a matter of when. While nothing can ever truly prepare anyone for this reality, it needs to be stressed more to new hire T&E personnel - IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN!
You did nothing wrong in the operation of your train and YOU WERE NOT AT THE WHEEL OF THE CAR. The operation of the car caused the deaths - not the operation of the train. STOP beating YOURSELF up about something you had no ability to prevent. I know that is much easier for me to say than it is for you to accept, but ACCEPT IT!
It’s important to realize that the story in the first post was written by a professional locomotive engineer who has occasionally written for Trains Magazine and writes an online column for another well known RR forum.
If you read the bottom of the post the original poster makes it very clear that he did not write this (i.e the Lion was not the Engineer in question) and properly attributes it to the actual author.
A chilling story about the sometimes harsh realities of working in train service…
I don’t think he “makes it very clear” at all. The attribution belongs at the TOP of the post, not at the bottom, after Lion has sucked everybody in under false pretenses.
I live just south of Antioch, IL. I was not living here when the accident happened.
I know the crossing well. It’s now in a quiet zone. The Antioch high school is just north of the crossing. It’s west of, and adjacent to, the railroad. But east of the tracks are the school’s athletic fields. So the students regularly cross the tracks to and from PE classes and athletic events. The pedestrian crossing for the students has crossing gates and I’ve seen a teacher standing at the gates controlling the teenagers as a CN freight went by.
It’s sad to think about those girls. They’d be 44 or 45 now. Maybe with teenagers of their own.
Human nature has its strange side. I am now 46. When I was about 4 or 5 I was with my parents as they had a meeting planned with a guy at his house just a block north of the edge of a town of about 900 people. Nobody answered the door of the house. All the garage doors were closed but my dad heard an engine running. Yes my dad opened the garage door. Yes the guy had way before we got there closed the garage door and left his truck running to kill himself. Both my parents hands were shaking so much it took the two of them together to dial the sheriff from inside of the house. All through this I was inside of the Chevy truck absolutely scared out of my mind, all alone. I never left the vehicle. It didn’t take long for it to spread like wildfire in this little town and the farm yard filled up with cars of people who had no business to, but just had to be there. I can imagine the invasion it felt like for the family of the dead man to come home and see all these people who had no need to be there. After that tragedy and traumatic experience people would come up to my parents to ask the juicy questions. I don’t think my parents answered any in respect to the family. My mom then didn’t go downtown for at least 4-6 weeks because of the questions. She would send my brothers on errands instead. I was diagnosed with ulcers in 2nd or 3rd grade. I went through therapy for 2 years after the treatments of ulcers were done. The shrink told my parents I had been through a traumatic experience but I don’t think they connected it to that day finding the dead guy. I did very poorly throughout school until barely graduating. In high school I was in one special class for 1-2 years where the teacher was a psychologist. I had 5 years of therapy in the late 90s then another run of 4 years 06 through 10. It was towards the end of my therapy, that that day of being with my parents and finding the guy who killed himself just might be that thing that was a source for much emotional trouble for me and the traumatic
That is a sad tragic accident. What is even worse is that the family of the teenagers who drove through crossing tried to sue the engineer who already feels horrible by knowing the train he was operating killed three people. It sad that today something happens so it is sue someone. I also blame the media for making the engineer feel worse, painting a person who feels horrible already as a “baby killer” is unethical. I feel sorry for the teenagers and the train crew.
In the sixties I was a full time firefighter. Hated gawkers, and was know to (accidently) lose control of the fire hose and soak them. That was quite effective at getting rid of them in winter.
LION did not intend to suck people in, but only to repeat Tuch’s story, which he gives permission to reprint in the first paragraph. All of his HTOTHI posts may be repeated. I just cut and pasted. I titled the thread “A story Retold” so I thought that it was clear that I was not the author. But he does such good writing.