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Amtrak ‘Carolinian’ strikes truck, derails in North Carolina
another careless truck driver strikes again !!!
Years ago, there was a running tally on the passenger advocacy news group “All Aboard” which kept track of how many times a truck driver put his truck in the path of a speeding passenger train. The number was staggering.
This was an oversize load looking at the remains of the trailer.
According to WRAL the truck was unable to negotiate the road intersection and was stuck for 15 minutes prior to the accident. The state police were at the scene when the truck was struck.
http://www.wral.com/40-hurt-when-amtrak-train-derails-in-halifax-county/14502409/
Let’s think safety here. The trucking company was at fault for failure to plan this route prior to the move. Second, if it is true it had been stuck for 15 minutes and the state police were there then why isn’t there provisions made to notify the track dispatcher and stop the train? This accident could have been prevented.
Vernon is exactly correct. There were multiple failures here. The trucking company failed to plan the route correctly. There was some sort of communications failure between the truck driver, NC state police and CSX. 15 min is plenty of time to get a hold of the dispatcher and get the trains stopped.
Truck stuck for 15 minutes before train struck? Does not 911 have access to train dispatchers to let them know a track is fouled up? Particularly if it is known that it is a passenger carrying track?
This is not the first time I have heard of a break down of information sharing like this. If I were a 911 dispatcher, I would have a couple of phone numbers to railroad dispatchers in the pocket and try them out once a month to ensure the numbers work.
Sure the truck got stuck and it is his fault for not planning the route or doing a safe manouver. However at 15 minute warning, there should have had 911 or police call the train dispatcher and the police going to the next crossing on either side to flag a train down at minimum. If I were a locomotive engineer seeing a police officer waving me down, I would slow down to visual stopping distance speed and get on the horn with the dispatcher!
Really Trains? “the piece of machinery went well above the tree line and the entire of the train was airborne and landed on its side” The cell phone video shows that it barely claimed the trailer a couple feet then came back down. Been watching Unstoppable to much?
If you think you had a bad day just think of the paperwork that State Trooper is looking at!
Gee Wiz, another grade crossing accident?!!!
This one reminds me of a grade crossing accident decades ago on the West Coast Mainline in England decades ago that I read about. A big very slow moving special truck hualing a heavy piece of machinery with police escort got caught on the tracks as the lights and gates came down (it was a automatic and not manual crossing), the drivers both front and in the back gunned the engine getting most of it across before it was hit by an express train.
It was a very bad accident but could have been worse if the locomotive had it the machinery instead of the rest of the trailer. The primary fault was that before the big move, the railway, trucking company, and police had dropped the ball in not arranging a flagman to be there to insure safety.
I wonder what the fall out will be?
Everybody that has commented is correct. You mean Barney Fyfe couldn’t use his radio to tell his dispatcher to call the RR? Mr.Atkins you are absolutely correct; it seems with this Wrinn character at the helm Trains is just like the lame stream media :if it bleeds, it leads. DPM must be very disappointed. What a shame. I pray that the engineer is going to be ok.
Agreed Mr. Witzler. And teach all LEO’s the hand signals for washout: http://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-csx/company-overview/railroad-dictionary/?i=W
Good Lord, why are we dumping on Jim Wrinn?
TRAINS is sumarizing published news reports. As always with the non-rail media, the details of rail operations get slurred, but if an eye-witness said the train (engine at least) went airborne it’s his quote and none of us were there to know otherwise. The train is certainly on its side! And it obviously left the rails, meaning is was for a bit in the air. Give Jim a break!
The article very clearly points out both the outrageous failure of the police to phone in a warning (of course they had CSX number–but even if they didn’t a quick net search would have produced it). The article also shows the terrible mistake the driver of the truck made.
But Jim Wrinn is absolutely blameless in this matter and David P. Morgan would completely agree. Only if TRAINS had a reporter on the scene could they be expected to give a more cogent train-buff presentation this early on.
Carl Fowler
President
Rail Travel Adventures
The CSX emergency number should have been on the crossing signal mast or the relay case. The trooper could have called from trackside. Lots of stupid all around.
Is this crossing protected by flashing lights or gates? I don’t see any evidence that it is on the right side of the train, although there seems to be a structure of some kind on the left side.
@Chris Atkins…the piece of machinery they’re referring to is the locomotive, not the item the oversize truck load, and from all appearances(laying on it’s side at a 90 degree angle to the track), I’d say the locomotive went airborne and probably was above the treeline, remember, only the top needs to extend above the treeline to be considered above the treeline.
@Gregg Richwine…you’re absolutely correct, every crossing is supposed to have the RR contact number in the event of an emergency posted at the crossing, whether on the actual signal mast, relay case or completely separate sign pole. A nice big white sign with black lettering that says something to the effect of in an emergency or obstruction notify XXX RR at 1-800-XXX-XXXX or a more local number.
This is an oversize load. Looking at this I have to wonder how many failures were involved here. Remember a few months back a freight train was detailed by a truck in Mer Rouge, La back in October? The reasons for the blockage were different, in that case the truck was hung on the tracks.
In this case(Halifax, NC) the truck was unable to negotiate the turn.(utility poles in the way and a too sharp turn)
I await the NTSB investigation.
A Cluster all around. Jeez one would think after 150 years of RR crossings some basic stuff would have been figured out by now.
Is anyone else somewhere between cussin’ and cryin’ about the tragic results of the-horrific ineptitude by at least 2 NC state agencies?
First the Transportation department that authorized the routing of the truck, which didn’t make it thru the grade crossing. It’s their highway system, they set restrictions and standards. They know the dimensions…
Second, the State Police, Highway Patrol whatever,
This troopers badge should be ripped off his uniform, melted down and entombed in Nuclear waste.
He’s on a grade crossing, maintrack, traversed by Amtrak, and he doesn’t function to stop trains while the crossing is fouled,
Doesn’t request a shutdown
On his car’s radio, doesn’t call 911 on his cell, doesn’t have RR emergency numbers on his speed-dial doesn’t fire off fussees, doesn’t drop red signals for approaching trains by clipping two battery jumper cables together and jumpering the signal circuits rail to rail.
Pathetic
The deputy in “in the Heat of the Night” and Barney Fife are Top Guns compared to this guy being a water pistol.
NC should commission (pay expenses) to Operation Lifesaver for statewide urgent, crash-course cram, classes for all law enforcement;
Subject; all about grade crossings (all of the above failures) and some more…
…AIRBORNE ( whatcha smoke )full of air…
tree line - Douglas fir grows to 210+ feet on Pacific coast .
two NEWS sensations…
Comment reading is getting to be a waste of time -Facts are educational - State proven facts , otherwise it is Gossip .