Trucker in 1999 Amtrak Crash Convicted

[vsmith]

Trucker in 1999 Amtrak Crash Convicted

KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) -- The trucker involved in a 1999 Amtrak derailment that killed 11 people was convicted Wednesday of felony charges for violating rules governing hours truckers can be on the road.

The crash also injured 122 others aboard Amtrak's City of New Orleans and pushed federal officials to overhaul truckers' hours-of-service rules for the first time since 1939.

John R. Stokes was found guilty by Circuit Judge Clark Erickson of willfully violating the maximum time limit for commercial truckers and of willful failure to keep an accurate logbook, said the prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General Bill Elward.

Stokes was driving a truck loaded with steel that ran into the path of the train at a crossing on March 15, 1999. The impact derailed the train, sending it smashing into rail cars loaded with steel beside the tracks.

The National Transportation Safety Board ruled that his failure to heed crossing signals and gates caused the accident. Investigators also said Stokes had gotten just three to five hours of sleep in the 38 hours before the accident; federal rules at the time required an eight-hour break after 10 hours of driving.

Stokes faces a possible prison term of one to three years, Elward said.

Stokes' phone number is unlisted and his attorney, Leonard Sacks, did not immediately return calls seeking comment. When Stokes spoke to an investigator the day after the crash he said the crossing lights didn't give him enough warning to stop.


At least this caused a review of the work hours issue with truck drivers, hopefully we are all a little safer now.

[Overmod]

Damn plea bargain is what it is. Witnesses and his own tire tracks convict him of what, for all intents and purposes, is wilful murder. Fortunately (for him) he can plead that he screwed up the paperwork...

Oh well, I suppose there's a reason for things to happen this way. Wouldn't do any good to lock him up and ruin another life. Perhaps he learned something from killing all those people...

[kenneo]

How about 11 life sentences? Consecutive. And how about 122 for attempted murder? And how many more were on the train? How about that many reckless endangerment convictions? A few of those type of cases will soon bring a bit more sanity to commercial vehicles and trains.

Similar situation happened on the South Shore a few years ago. A steel coil came into the front of the MU car and killed everyone in the front half of the car. Fortunately, this was at 5 AM and the first train of the day, so the toll was low.

All we got from this oops was the reflective strips on trucks. Now, that is a good thing, but that was all.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[garr]

The sentence is definitely too light. This felon's attempt to save 1 to 1 1/2 minutes in his illegal workday cost 11 people and their families a lifetime of pain and emptiness, not to mention the loss to the 122 injuried.

The evidence seemed stonger than the sentence reflects. It appears the investigators, prosecutors, and legal system let a lot of people down. Should have been life with possible parole in 40 years.

A few months after this accident, Readers Digest had a great article on this accident. If you haven't read the article it would be worth your time to find a copy.

Jay

[MP173]

Kenneo:

The incident with the South Shore at Midwest Steel was a little different, if I recall.

The layout of the double crossing (Conrail and Southshore) with a steel mill and trucks entering and leaving the plant basically determined that this was an accident waiting to happen.

I read the other day that construction has been approved to eliminate the death trap by building an overpass.

A similar situation occurred a few years ago in NW Chicago suburbs with a school bus at a stop lite and a UP - Metra commuter train.

The guy in Kankakee was outta control, the one at Midwest Steel was set up by poor design.

MP 173

[vsmith]

Its still a pretty bad statement about our justice system when a guy who kills 11 people through an act of selfishness (trying to beat a train, or signal, or just to important to stop) will get off with a relatively light sentance. I would hope that since this guy will be out of jail in three years tops ( thats 3 months and 18 days for EACH fatality), the families of those killed would sue this guy in civil court so that he's reminded of the consiquences of his actions for the rest of his life.

[zardoz]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Its still a pretty bad statement about our justice system when a guy who kills 11 people through an act of selfishness (trying to beat a train, or signal, or just to important to stop) will get off with a relatively light sentance. I would hope that since this guy will be out of jail in three years tops ( thats 3 months and 18 days for EACH fatality), the families of those killed would sue this guy in civil court so that he's reminded of the consiquences of his actions for the rest of his life.

I absolutely agree. Granted, no matter how much this idiot is punsihed, it will not bring back the dead or ease any of the pain.

However, what a heavier sentance might do is give other truck (and other commercial) vehicle drivers some 'food for thought'. They just might reconsider violating operational rules if the punishment is MUCH more severe. Perhaps there should be federally mandated fines for truckers, just like there is for railroad employees that deliberately violate the rules.

I wonder what type of punishment would be given to a train crewman if they did something similar. I'd bet it would be more severe!!

[espeefoamer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Its still a pretty bad statement about our justice system when a guy who kills 11 people through an act of selfishness (trying to beat a train, or signal, or just to important to stop) will get off with a relatively light sentance. I would hope that since this guy will be out of jail in three years tops ( thats 3 months and 18 days for EACH fatality), the families of those killed would sue this guy in civil court so that he's reminded of the consiquences of his actions for the rest of his life.

The families of those killed should get together and hire a few underworld goons to meet the driver when he gets out of prison,usher him into their black limo and "take him for a ride"to discuss his future[}:)]!