Some people are born dumb, and get dumber with age. Case in point… NS #282 this morning had the pleasure proving that a Toyota car made from beer cans is no match for an NS Dash-9 moving at 40mph. Take note of the road sign in front of the mangled car. And for those who feel sorry for the poor, poor driver, he supposedly dove out of the car before impact…guess he’s smart after all.
Getting hit by a train while stopped on the tracks- $15,000 in insurance.
Failing to pay attention to the “Do Not Stop On Tracks” sign…PRICELESS!
Every day I see cars pull on the tracks at our four crossings three which have 2 tracks. they have to stop on the tracks because of traffic. Police here not interested in enforcing this violation.
Of the four crossings in downtown Locust Grove, this one is the most congested. Everyone from the surrounding neighborhoods use this road for access off of Hwy 42 which runs parallel to the mainline. There is only enough space for one car between the tracks and the highway, and if traffic is bad enough, idiots like this will tempt fate in trying to get out onto the highway. The only thing the local police dept. is good for is handing out speeding tickets…I honestly don’t think they know how to do much else.
Based solely on what I can see in the image, and no other source of information, It looks to me like the car hit the train rather than the other way around.
Believe it or not, that happens more often than you would expect.
The damage to the car is relatively minor and the point of impact appears to be the left front corner of the car which indicates that only a foot or so of the very front of the car was in the space occupied by the train. The crossing gate is broken and bent toward the tracks. Unless it was moved by the rescuers, that would seem to indicate that it was down when it was hit by something from the road side. There is a dent in the passenger front door of the car that could have been made by that broken crossing gate as the car spun to the right after the impact which would seem to indicate that the car was going around the gate, rather than being caught on the tracks when the gates came down.
Unless there is corroboration from other witnesses, take the statement of the driver with a grain of salt. Remember that he has an interest in minimizing his liability.
Not a conclusion, just my initial observations as the investigation begins.
According to the train’s engineer, the driver was completely on top of the tracks waiting on traffic to clear when the train rounded the curve. When the gates went down, the guy then tried to back up to get off the tracks, but still had his front end hanging on the rail when the track struck; the crossing gate got snapped in the process. The driver bailed out right before impact, thus sparing himself from being added to the Darwin Award nominee list. Still, having the demolished car land behind the “Do Not Stop On Tracks” sign deserves an honorable mention.
That fits. Train contact on the left front and gate contact in the passenger door at the base of the window. I told you it wasn’t a conclusion, just an initial impression. An investigator’s mind is always open when new information becomes available. Only fools call that “flip flopping” lol.
Being a retired accident reconstruction expert, I agree with your assessment. Not just the impact points, but also about changing your mind. New evidence can change calculations.
As to Toyotas being made of beer cans, they are now the #1 auto manufacturer and seller in the world. There must be a reason.
Have had many autos…most manufactured here by “us”…
Still have a little truck made here {mostly} by us, but the best durable and performing one, actually two, have been from Toyota’s top of the line Div.
Well I drink beer, and I own a Toyota Corolla…I guess I’m pretty ok guy! LOL [:D] Unfortunately, you can just about touch the side of the car, and it’ll dent!
And right on with the assessment. After impact, the car was dragged a bit causing the gate to jam into the passenger window. (the guy tried to back up AND go around the gate at the same time) I’m still amazed that the collision didn’t wipe out the entire signal. But then again, recycled beer cans are no match for rigid steel.
I can’t sit back and let you go on without the facts being presented. I do not know what source you may have recieved some of these speculations from, however, if you will permit me I would like to interject a little.
First-The elderly couple in this accident are my parents. For those of you who care they are cut and bruised severely, but otherwise o.k. I believe it is a miracle that they survived and I praise God that they were spared. Dad is a veteran and twice a survivor of cancer. Mom is handicapped and raised three boys, all whom are veterans. ( once again for those who care)
Second-Dad did NOT stop on the tracks! Witnesses who were ACTUALLY there can verify this. Anyone who says different is just speculating. This includes the Locust Grove PD officer who made the police report. ( More on this subject later)
Third- Because of Moms handicap, she rides an electric scooter that rides on a special made lift that attaches to rear of the car. This, gentlemen, is what the crossing gate got hung on and trapped mom and dad from being able to get out of harms way. Dad did not bail out as one gent suggested. Dad never tried to go around the gate as another suggested. He stayed in the car and told mom to brace herself because he knew that they were going to get hit.
Fourth- Mr. Joe H., you are correct in some aspects. This is one of Locust Groves most congested crossings. You sound very familar with this crossing so I know you are honest when you say that there is only room for one small vehicle to stop at the stop sign to turn left or right. If you video taped this crossing you would find that the majority of the citizens stop right on the tracks because they are next in line to turn. This is why it is easy for you to believe that my dad did the same thing. I can assure you that he didn’t. Dad stopped his car ( A 2005 Buick LeSabre for the record to dispel those other nasty comments) with the nose about where the gent in the picture is stan
I can’t sit back and let you go on without the facts being presented. I do not know what source you may have recieved some of these speculations from, however, if you will permit me I would like to interject a little.
First-The elderly couple in this accident are my parents. For those of you who care they are cut and bruised severely, but otherwise o.k. I believe it is a miracle that they survived and I praise God that they were spared. Dad is a veteran and twice a survivor of cancer. Mom is handicapped and raised three boys, all whom are veterans. ( once again for those who care)
Second-Dad did NOT stop on the tracks! Witnesses who were ACTUALLY there can verify this. Anyone who says different is just speculating. This includes the Locust Grove PD officer who made the police report. ( More on this subject later)
Third- Because of Moms handicap, she rides an electric scooter that rides on a special made lift that attaches to rear of the car. This, gentlemen, is what the crossing gate got hung on and trapped mom and dad from being able to get out of harms way. Dad did not bail out as one gent suggested. Dad never tried to go around the gate as another suggested. He stayed in the car and told mom to brace herself because he knew that they were going to get hit.
Fourth- Mr. Joe H., you are correct in some aspects. This is one of Locust Groves most congested crossings. You sound very familar with this crossing so I know you are honest when you say that there is only room for one small vehicle to stop at the stop sign to turn left or right. If you video taped this crossing you would find that the majority of the citizens stop right on the tracks because they are next in line to turn. This is why it is easy for you to believe that my dad did the same thing. I can assure you that he didn’t. Dad stopped his car ( A 2005 Buick LeSabre for the record to dispel those other nasty comments) with the nose about where the ge
Well geez, where should I start here… Ok, from the engineer’s report, your dad was indeed all the way onto the tracks, and was trying to back up when they got hit. Now, you said that he supposedly proceeded forward after the car in front of him pulled out onto Hwy 42 right? He should have had plenty of time to get over the tracks even if the crossing signal turned on just as he started to move forward…it takes longer than 2 seconds for those gates to come down. And furthermore, the gates themselves are designed to swivel back and forth horizontally along with being able to be pushed back up. Had your dad backed up enough, the gate would have rode up the back window over the top of the car and down the front windshield. (the wheelchair lift doesn’t even matter had this been done) The car has more than enough force to do this and possibly even break the gate in the process…better a broken gate and some scratched paint that what actually happened. According to the engineer and conductor, your dad tried to back up only once before impact. I hate to say it, but from all appearances, your dad simply went into panic/confusion mode whether he admits it or not, and didn’t know what to do. Either that, or he just gave up and let the train hit them. I’m not saying outright that it was his fault, but you can’t blame the train, crew or the crossing signal here. I’m glad you shared your sympathy and Christian attidude here, but you need to extend that sympathy also to the engineer and conductor who are now likely traumatized for the rest of their lives from watching this unfold in front of them knowing there is nothing they could do.
And for the record, the lead engine was equipped with a dashboard camera that caught the whole thing. So yes, there is video of the accident.
Was the video posted? Can the public view the video? If so, can you pass on the address for it?
I would like to extend my sympathies to “Fire Sgt.” and his family, my prayers are with you and also with the train crew. I am sure the driver given a 2nd chance would change some things he did that day, but then we all have things we would like to change. It is a reminder to all of us to make sure that we use good judgement around crossings.
I hope and pray that the crew recovers from this incident.