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CSX train strikes truck, derails near Baltimore
I live in Rosedale,Md. and have previously railfaned at the crossing where the accident took place. After learning of the incident I turned on the TV and found out how ignorant the news media is of railroads and listened to them ask many stupid questions. My reaction was “Are you kidding me?” I am glad that the accident wasn’t worse than it was. I guess people will want to know why all railroad crossings can’t be eliminated now!
Good job getting this online before quitting time. This provides much more info than the horrific video of the explosion. Truck vs. train is usually the trucker’s fault.
Get the story right. A garbage truck is not a large truck. It is a medium truck. The Class A license isn’t required to drive one. More like a Class B or C license is required to drive one of those things, depending on the gross weight of the truck.
That being said, what happened doesn’t surprise me. I see local garbage and dump truck drivers doing all kinds of stupid things all the time. Driver’s career is over.
I just read about this from an AP report on the Roadrunner.com Home News section, there was no mention of the fact that the train hit a truck on the tracks causing the derailment.
Again we see a truck driver mot checking for an oncoming Train before crossing a track or ignoring crossing signals if there were any,seeing as the crossing is reported as being a Private Crossing to an industrial park,so we don’t know if there was a Cross Buck or a Warning sign at that crossing.
The article doesn’t mention if the truck had stopped or stalled on the track or if the truck driver was trying to beat the train or was distracted somehow part,but the blame rests on his/her shoulders for causing the derailment.
From a raw video of the scene you can see the tracks all torn up and twisted and at least one truck form a freight car near the tracks with wheel sets torn from it on the ground near it and the fire burning and cars off the tracks.
This a case for more Truck Driver training and maybe posting of signs a rail crossings advising Drivers not run a crossing and provide a toll Free Phone number to report a Disabled Vehicle on the tracks to the Railroads dispatch center in order to warn the train crew in time to prevent such an accident from occurring in the first place.
Local Baltimore TV newrooms blew this story way out of proportion, preempting regular programming, giving it 3 solid hours of coverage, interviewing everyone they could find in the neighborhood to talk about what they saw. Yes, there was an explosion, and yes, there was a lot of smoke. But the only reported injury was the truck driver. Nobody died, it was not terrorism, and there was no release of toxic chemicals. They neglected to mention anything about the injuries to the train crew, and they downplayed the truck driver as the one who caused the accident. At the very least I would expect them to say “Look out for the locomotive” or “Don’t cross the tracks if there is a train coming!”
The train was blowing its horn? How could I hear that when I was on my cellphone? Another trucker strikes again.
The correct headline:
Trucker drives in Front of Freight Train - Pays the Price
When that one appears I’ll read what they have to say knowing it may have been written by an author who actually looked into these situations and found out how accidents of this kind occur. I’m not holding my breath.
By the way, I don’t understand the complaining from Mr. Guse - the article simply calls the vehicle a “large truck” without saying exactly how large. Suggestion for Mr. Guse: take a valium or something. No one likes a nitpicker.
As much as Mr. Guse’s comments are often inflammatory, he was trying to make a point here … this was not a ‘professional’ trucker. This was a person who was hired to drive a local truck, probably without much training other than ‘can you drive?’. Yes, he or she should have known to stop and look, but we are probably talking of a person who didn’t graduate High School and got the best job he/she could with little or no training. A ‘professional’ driver would have more sense – sometimes.
I think that was the point of Mr. Guse’s comment.
I’m still curious: What was the cause of the explosion and fireball, presumably from a car in the train?
I’m still curious: What was the cause of the explosion and fireball, presumably from a car in the train?
Most “private” railroad crossings are death traps because the owners are too cheap and don’t have time to warn employees, vendors, and other users about the safety implications involved. Profits come before safety, that’s the consequence.
And of course the local TV stations scream the headline:
CSX TRAIN DERAILMENT AND EXPLOSION
without saying anything about the fact that is was ALL caused by a truck whose driver made the error. Just irks me.
When will truckers ever learn?? I work for a major class 1 railroad, and I don’t know how many times they try to beat us. If they cause a major derailment, they should get prison time!
Yes, irks me too. All the reports leave out the truck. Blame the railroad first.
Lke always the news media opens their mouth before getting any correct details. Again the cause is not mentioned other than the train hit a garbage truck. Well, the train belongs on the tracks, the truck does not. I expect more of these now with all the towns and cities not allowing warning horns by the engineer at crossings. Again, the railroad was generally there before the people who do not like the sound of horns or whistles. Don’t build or buy a home near the railroad if you do not like the sounds…simple enough. And LOOK BEFORE CROSSING!!!
Being a former member of the media, I can tell you that speed is the first rule in the broadcasting media, then and only then will the real facts come out. I can’t tell you how many arguments that I had with broadcast producers over the facts versus what the AP wire copy said. As for the transportaion personnel involved, I’m very glad that the accident spared thier lives.
Single track: stop, look & listen. Double track: do it again. Basic stuff, not rocket science.
I just hate it when those big, bad, bully trains go out looking for poor innocent , unsuspecting trucks where they feel safe and secure. X RR crossing “STOP LOOK LISTEN”.
I couldn’t agree more then with the above comments.
If people would learn to drive defensively, we wouldn’t have these problems. Maybe the towns and cities should pay for overpasses or barriers.