Fox News just reported a grade crossing accident of an Amtrak Passenger Train with a tractor-trailer that was “parked” in a crossing at Riviera Beach,Fl.
Aerial photos, apparently engine derailed and truck totaled, several injuries…details later.
Thanks, to those who supplied the other links, first broadcast was pretty sketchy…
Sam
Here is the link to the streaming video/audio
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/mplayer/m/3493
[:o)]
Eric Roby handled that report well.
I would hire him in a heartbeat.
Kurt
we really really really need to look at grade separation on these mainlines and start spending our tax dollars in this country instead of nation building elsewhere
Or, we could teach truck and auto drivers not to stop on the tracks at all…
Oh, wait, that falls under the common sense rule…its all ok as long as you can blame the “government” or the other party, then you don’t have to use your common sense at all, if you had any to start with.
Ed
Ha, its just easier to blame the big bad train…God forbid that a driver have the common sense enough to get their vehicle in the clear of the tracks before stopping, or making sure before they cross the tracks, that they have room to clear just in case the light decides to turn red…oh yeah, common sense, your right Ed.
Shaun…locomotive engineer.
My father in law drove rigs for a long time…and I can promise you he could tell you within inches if his tractor and trailer would fit in a given space…the truck driver here knew he would be hanging into the crossing, just gambled and lost.
Ed
I used to live in the area of this accident, and I was always amazed that this sort of thing didn’t happen more often. The north-south track(s) in the area run parallel to I-95 in some areas and busy multilane streets in other areas, all as close to the tracks as shown in the video, and with all the car traffic, it is a situation that is a disaster waiting to happen due to driver stupidity. I remember having impatient drivers honk their horns, and I was even bumped from behind by one fool, because I didnt try to squeeze past the tracks when the room on the other side was doubtful and the stoplight ahead was red. The time I was bumped, the gates started coming down immediately after, and hit the hood of my car, although I was well clear of the tracks themselves. I seem to recall a gas tanker semi getting clobbered in the same area a few years ago - truck driver did the same stupid thing - pulling right up to the bumper of the car ahead of him instead of staying clear of the tracks - several people died in that one from the fire, if I remember right. I have to agree that common sense would have prevented this better than more money on grade crossing protection or separation. Look at the Chicago El/subway - the right of way is enclosed by chain link fencing and they still have people climb over or cut through the fence to cross the tracks. Some people just don’t get it I guess
That’s the way it looks in the video Toho, but the problem, since we can’t regulate common sense (or lack thereof), seems to be the location of the traffic light in relation to the railroad crossing. Looks like some of those highway engineers (and I use that term loosely) need to be the ones getting sued for such a dangerous design.
Sorry guy the driver was wrong & was ticketed for it. There were cars stopped at the lite in front of truck & the driver decided that instead of waiting on the other side of the tracks he decided to pull foward leaving the back end of the trailer overhanging the track. The driver said he “thought” he had cleared the tracks. As Forrest Gump says stupid is as stupid does… [V]