the full video will be played in court many times and of course the investigators have it today. However, news rooms edit or cut video segements to fit a specific time slot - just show the gore and let the investigators do the real analysis. I have also seen situations where newsrooms release incomplete information at the request of the investigators to avoid potential jury bias problems, or to avoid appearing prejudicial, etc.
dd
This incident is similar to one that happened in Fox River Grove, Ill a few years ago when a CNW Metra suburban train hit a school bus. Same scenario: traffic lights very close to tracks with insufficient space for a long vehicle to sit at the light and clear the tracks.
If I remember correctly, a number of students were killed. So do not get your hopes too high that the incident refered to by the thread poster will have any significant effect on the way traffic signals and intersections are repaired. If the death of some kids does not cause a change, a few strawberries will not either.
It always amazed me that a person will, when faced with a similar situation (car stopped on tracks), not move forward or backward to get out of the way of a train. I’ve hit cars that all they had to do was break the gates to move, and they still sit there and get hit. I suppose if one is stupid enough to stop on the tracks in the first place, we should not expect any sudden intelligence to emerge.
I do think, however, that a certain amount of panic sets in when a driver realizes the situation they are in. The mind, faced with such an incredible scenario, cannot process information properly and ‘freezes’, with the result that no decision can be made.
It is somewhat analogous to martial art training. The first few years are spent learning the moves; the rest of the time is spent having those moves become so a part of your self, that if you are ever faced with a situation that you need to use those skills, they flow naturally, without the need to ‘think’ about what you need to do. My teacher always told me that if you have to think about what you want to do, it is already too late and you have lost.
The Federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) has quite a bit of guidance for situations like the intersection and crossing in this crash, so the Illinois collision probably had a lot to do with enhancing the guidance. Unfortunately, local authorities do not always use the best judgment in laying these things out and coordinating traffic signals with train movements. California’s Department of Transportation has recently replaced the state Traffic Manual with the MUTCD wth some California modifications and additions, which may eventually help the locals do things a little better.
I do feel, though, that giving a red signal indication to traffic trying to egress from the crossing when a train is coming is not a very bright design. It just adds to the risk.
This will all be sorted out in the courts and the regulatory bodies. That is one prediction that I am sure is correct.
Well said. The most accurate statement, however is "I suppose if one is stupid enough to stop on the tracks in the first place we sh
The photographer was filming the intersection as he was involved in an accident nearby and a lawsuit resulted, hence the video, he had not been sitting there for 23 days. There was a bus accident caught on film at this crossing, along with many near misses, so either the railroad or the city is directly at fault and heads should roll, but of course “it’s no ones fault —again”
CNN has an article with some info about the accident and the video here:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/02/18/crash.video.ap/index.html
a little personl observation on this topic…
I am in Oxnard at least 10 times a year with my 18 wheeler, and I almost always cross the tracks where that wreck happened. first off, you can see that the truck driver stopped on the tracks, with his cab just past the crossing gates. so the truck driver had no idea that a train was coming and he could not see that the lights were flashing or that the gates were coming down. I dont know how he could not have heard the train horn. but when you are trapped by a red light, you see that you just hit the gates, and you hear a train coming, you go into sensory overload and a lot of people just freeze up.
when you are at that crossing, if you look to the right you see the entrance to the small yard at oxnard, then the tracks curve to the right where the depot is. when you look to the left (the direction that this train came from) you have nothing but straight tracks for a few miles. all it takes is one glance and you can see a train quite a long way off. to me, this looks like another case of someone not paying any attention whatsoever to what was going on.
I heard the truck driver wasn’t a “HE” but was named Teresa–sounds like a woman. And she messed up, big time.
Now if we could just get a truck loaded with peanut butter and another with bread…[:D]
AS I WACTH THE TAPE FROM THE THE TRUCK SHOULD HAVE GONE THRU THE RED LIGHT IM SURE HE HEARD THE HORN AND THERE ARE GATES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CROSSING SHE SHOULD HAVE SEEN THERE WAS A PROBLEM .THE TRAIN WAS MOVING AT 65 MPH WHEN IT HIT THE TRUCK. TRACK SPEED IS 79 MPH. ONCE AGAIN I FEEL BAD FOR THE ENGINER AND AMTRAK HE DIDNT NEED THIS INTO HIS LIFE AND AMTRAK DOESNT NEED THE BAD PRESS
Take a close look at the video from the camera across the street. If the truck had run the red light there would very likely have been two to four vehicles collide with the truck. The resulting injuries would have been very grave. I speak from personal experience as I survived an accident last July with a truck where the driver passed out, came across the line and destroyed my vehicle along with another following me.
While I totally agree the driver in the train collision did some very stupid things she probably saved some lives by stopping at the red light and preventing an insection collision. There was extensive propery damage but property can be replaced, lives cannot!
In this instance, you would be correct. However, what is to say that a piece of the truck could not have lodged under the front wheels, lifting the locomotive’s front axle off the rails and causing a bad derailment, right in the middle of all that traffic. How many might be dead then?
If the truck had pulled ahead into traffic, it MAY have caused an accident or accidents (although if the other drivers were paying attention, they just might have seen the truck enter traffic and perhaps slowed enough to avoid hitting); but by staying on the tracks, the truck DEFINITELY caused a large, potentially multiple-fatality incident.
Sorry, Richardy, there is no way that driver made any sort of correct decision during the chain of events that led to this crash.
Zardoz:
I never said the driver did anything correctly, I just pointed out that IN THIS ONE CASE I feel (my opinion) that the driver saved lives or very serious injury in the intersection. I never said the train collision could not have been more horrific!! I never said the driver made a correct decision by stopping at the red light. Don’t put words int
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QUOTE: Originally posted by richardy
Zardoz:
I never said the driver did anything correctly, I just pointed out that IN THIS ONE CASE I feel (my opinion) that the driver saved lives or very serious injury in the intersection. I never said the train collision could not have been more horrific!! I never said the driver made a corr
Zardoz:
I did not know you were a former engineer so I can see that you look at the situation from that perspective. You have had many close calls in your life and so have I but mine in July resulted in severe injury and I did not see that on your list.
Richardy-
You are correct; I have not suffered any injuries as the result of incidents of which we speak. Certainly, being severely injured will change one’s perspective; how much so I cannot begin to imagin. My apologies for my sharp retort.
Richardy-
You are correct; I have not suffered any injuries as the result of incidents of which we speak. Certainly, being severely injured will change one’s perspective; how much so I cannot begin to imagin. My apologies for my sharp retort.
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Thanks Zardoz, I feel we are actually in full agreement that everything was done wrong. I just made an observation about the result but did not judge right or wrong in my post.