Just on WBBM-780 AM here. Incoming Amtrak train hit a car near the Citgo refinery in Romeoville. Two fatalities in the car. No injuries reported on the train. Traffic helicopter report said car was “unrecognizable.”
More information; Location; 135th & New Avenue. Time: 1:10 PM CDT Some news reports say a car, others say a truck. Train was the “Texas Eagle”
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/06/amtrak-train-hits-truck-in-romeoville.html And note comments.
Watch for lawsuit with the same issue of malfunctioning crossing signals----at least two postings argued that one----I’m sure someone will do this—[sigh]
Sad thing is some of those posters saw nothing wrong with lifting the gates to go through when they saw no train. I mean, this is the cell phone era. You call the cops on the cell phone and they come and sort it out. You never go through. EVER.
Obviously, it’s the driver’s fault–as a railroader I have no doubts about that, even though I know that CN and its predecessor in this area are notorious for signal problems.
But, as someone who has often driven–and biked–on New Avenue (and occasionally on 135th in this area), I can offer a few opinions.
First of all, there are not “two light systems” at this crossing. Eastbound traffic on 135th will encounter two lights–one on either side of the grade crossing–the first one is supposed to stop traffic so it doesn’t get caught on the crossing; the second one stays green longer to allow eastbound traffic to get off the crossing. This “confusing” set of signals had no bearing whatsoever on this incident, if the car was traveling as described.
If the car was traveling south on New Avenue, it either had a red light at the corner, or a green light with large “no right turn” signs illuminated. And the crossing gates and flashers themselves, which were obviously functional.
Now an eastbound train (timetable direction) is traveling due north (compass direction) at this point. Which means, as the tracks are parallel to New Avenue, the train would be oncoming before the vehicle made its turn. That’s a long straightaway south of 135th, and I don’t recall the weeds between street and tracks being all that tall. There’s no way they should have thought that lowered (or lowering) gates were a false activation.
Sad as it is that a good couple’s lives were snuffed out, it was, more than likely, nobody’s fault but their own. And (barring evidence to the contrary) nobody should be allowed to get rich over this at the railroad’s expense.
Are you saying that the southbound car approaching that intersection would see either a red or green l
Ideally, if the light for New Avenue were green, and the crossing was activated, the “No Right Turn” light would come on, and the light would change to red, giving eastbound traffic on 135th a chance to clear the crossing. That’s what happens here at a complicated local intersection with a railroad running through it, but I have not been there when a train has been crossing to see if that’s the case. The light would eventually return to the normal sequence of things (as far as the other three directions were concerned), even if the signals still had the crossing blocked.
I can’t tell you about whether flashers are in place to face traffic coming off New Avenue. It would be helpful, but the No-turn lights (I assume there’s a “no left turn” for northbound New Avenue here, too) take care of the enforcement aspects (if you see a no-turn light, you follow the rule first and ask why later).
From the way the scene has been described, I gather that the road and railroad are parallel and quite close together. Would it be accurate to say that a car making a right turn would be past the line of the first gate before the car would complete the turn? For that to be the case, I would say that the nearest rail would have to be less than perhaps 25 feet from the edge of the road that is parallel to the track.
I can see how a driver making a right turn there might not see the gates activate. If this turn brings a vehicle onto the crossing as soon as it sounds, I cannot imagine that they would not have the flashers set to face the direction of traffic that might turn right. A left turn would provide considerably more space to allow a driver to see the gates and the flashers perpendicular to the tracks well before he or she reached the crossing.
However, if there is no signal indication aimed a car approaching for a right turn other than a “no right turn sign,” that seems like a rather weak warning. It is true that it would cover the situation legally, but a simple crossbuck would cover the situation at all crossings legally. Y
We have an intersection involving 5 streets that cross directly and 2 that run off side streets—all have a set of lights----we do not seem to have issues with them—and that is with streets that run parallel to then cross at an acute angle to—the intersection—it comes down to how the locals treat that intersection-----some might have more of an issue with this than others—
Parallel, yes–that close, no. I think you’ve probably got more like 50-100 feet between them.
On Mapquest, it looks like about 45-50 feet from the edge of the road to the nearest rail. The curvature of the pavement going around the corner does not end until about 5 feet from the nearest rail. Since that curvature continutes past the gate, it suggests that a car easily might still be making the turn as it passes the line of the gate.
Here is an interesting perspective on the crash:
http://www.chicagopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/2009/06/chicago_bound_amtrak_train_hit_1.html
At the bottom of the page, there is a link to coverage by WGN TV, which also has some very interesting information.
http://www.wgntv.com/wgntv-twodead-amtrak-june18,0,3243375.story
It
Head into Google Earth. You will find this GC at 41°38’27.47"N 88° 2’55.84"W Here is the overhead view; 
And here is the street view from the SE corner looking NW. There are street view images Eastbound on 135th, but they are washed out by the rising sun. 
And here is the “Light Box” that somebody Southbound making a right turn would have seen. 
In years gone by, the intersection of 130th Street and Torrence Ave in Chicago had a similar arrangement where the CWI paralleled Torrence Ave. The boxed “No Left/Right Turn” neon signs were located on the crossarm next to the traffic light AND on the post above that traffic light, making them difficult to ignore. I am roughly familiar with the intersection in question for this accident and sight lines along New Avenue are very good and a train’s headlight and ditch lights would be hard to miss. This accident may be a case of “familiarity breeds contempt”.
The question I have, now that I looked at the Google site is how one can not see the track gates–looked pretty obvious to my poor eyesight----there are numerous streets here that parallel the CN main and they have not had things like ths happening-----maybe it is a variation on the ol’—“Takin’ Things for Granted----”
People get talking to each other in the car, and often are driving rather robotically and not minding what is happening around them. In a car-to-car incident at turning speeds, this would only result in contusions and damage. People do get used to a crossing and not pay it the mind a very dangerous place requires.
Hi, let me please offer another opinion after reading all of this an watching the video. It was said that this accident happened during broad daylight hours. This would explain to me that the driver did not see the lights of the oncoming loco, and could also possibly explain why she/he hasn’t noticed the box signal prohibiting the right turn.
Additionally, it was said that behind the car hit by the train there were other cars so she couldn’t back.
And let me please add some other concern. In most european places the flash signals come on at least 45 seconds before a train would approach and the bars come down at least 35 seconds prior. Apparently, at least in this scenario, the time seem to have been much shorter, which is strange to me.
OK, I was asked this question; If you are at a lighted crossbuck, and the signals are ON, and no train is evident for a long period, and it is not possible due to the design of the road and interfering traffic to u-turn or back to a point where one can divert from the crossing, what is the duty of the driver? Do you (as I maintain) wait indefinitely for the signal to stop or for police to come and direct you through the warned GC, Or you you treat it as an un-lighted crossbuck and, observing no train, proceed through (as the person I am discussing this with maintains.) Thanks!
It looks like there are no crossing flashers aimed down the parallel road that would be visible to a driver making a right turn. It is true that a driver making a right turn would be confronted with the full flasher and gate system once they completed the turn, but at that point, they would be right at the tracks. Much of the safety afforded by flashers is in their warning during the period in which the driver approaches the crossing. In this case that approach phase of warning would be completely missing. And once a driver does confront the flashers, they are going to be way up in the air above the driver, as opposed to being in the obvious line of sight.
So, although the gates come down and the flashers flash, a driver approaching from a right turn gets nearly zero advance warning from those automatic protection devices. Instead, the only advance warning a driver gets is a sign saying “No Right Turn.” It seems to me that if the crossing is dangerous enough to warrant gates and flashers, then those devices should be set to warn all drivers approaching the crossing, no matter from which direction they approach.
Headlights and ditch lights are VERY bright. It would be hard to miss them when you scanned the tracks before committing to cross. But people see trains and misjudge their approach speed as a general rule.