Train: 1 - Truck: 0

[trainboyH16-44]

They were honking at him, the gates were down, and he kept turning around? Almost another darwin award winner there....do they give 'em out every week, or what?
He is soo lucky! At least this may help to silence critics of the push-pull method....a little.....
Matthew

[TrainFreak409]

That is really stupid. That's hard to believe, but then as usual, studidity remains surpreme. He is VERY lucky that he wasn't hurt.

I wonder how he feels about the whole incident. The article reports that the driver must feel bad about losing his truck...What about the person that was slightly injured in the stationary car?!?! It's the truck driver's fault that the whole thing happened. Could the injured bystander possibly sue the driver of the truck?

[CSXrules4eva]

Well in this case the driver was being stupid and selfish. He most likely said: Oh you know I don't feel like going around the streets or the block to get myself into the proper lane for me to make my turn, I'm going to hold up traffic because I have a nice big truck and I'm going to do what I want to do. So he did it, and that was a costly mistake on his part. This guy could fall under the catogory of stupid drivers.

Some people have to learn that trains aren't going to stop for them, they have to stop for the train. They also have to take certain precautions at grade crossings, which is something that isn't enforced too often.

[Anonymous]

I have a question????


WHEN??? will people learn that NO CAR< not even , wait NO CAR can even put up even any kind of the beggining of a fight against even the smallest trrians!!!


WHEN WILL PEOPLE LEARN[:(!][:(!][:(!][V][:(][:O][banghead][soapbox][tdn]

[espeefoamer]

The newscaster on the video said that the truck had cleared the crossing,then BACKED!onto the tracks because he realized he was turning the wrong direction[:(!].Can you say STUPID?[:(!]

[chad thomas]

I just cought this on the local San Diego news. I didn't catch any mention of what happened to the train. I'm guessing it stayed on the rails. This guy really is a moron for trying to do a three point turn on the tracks with a tractor / trailer. I think this one deserves honorable mention for the Darwin award.

[vsmith]

Well its happened again out here. A semi-truck apparently trying to do a turnaround on the crossing get hit by a Metrolink commuter train. This had shades of the tragedy last year when a complete moron intentionally parked his SUV on the tracks and killed 11 people. This look like an accident , albietly a stupid one: When will they ever learn?[V]

link with pics:
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=local&id=3571153

text of story:

Metrolink Train and Big Rig Collide

GLENDALE - Metrolink services will be up and running today, a day after a Metrolink train and a big rig collided in Glendale, injuring five people near the site of a January train derailment that killed 11 people.

The collision between the train carrying about 100 passengers and the 18- wheel big rig occurred about 7:40 last night near San Fernando Road and Brazil Street on the Glendale-Los Angeles border, said Glendale police Sgt. Tom Lorenz.
"The driver made a right turn, and then decided he really wanted to make a left turn instead and went on the tracks to make a three-point maneuver," said Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrell.

"The gates were coming down, others drivers were honking their horns, but for some reason, he didn't hear any of this."

An initial investigation determined no foul play was involved in the collision, but "there might be human error on the side of the driver of the truck," Lorenz told a local TV station.

Debris from the accident was expected to be cleaned up "before the morning commute" today, said Glendale police Sgt. Robert Breckenridge. No delays were expected for today's Metrolink service, Tyrell added.

The truck driver was not injured.

"I'm sure this driver is very upset about losing his truck, but it's a very rare person who is struck by a train and lives to tell about it," Tyrell said. "He's a very lucky man."

Three passenger vehicles that were waiting to cross the tracks were struck by pieces of the trailer that broke off during the collison and were slightly damaged, said police Sgt. Harley Wing.

An occupant of one of the damaged vehicles suffered minor injuries, Wing said. The other four people taken to a hospital with minor injuries had been on the train, Lorenz added.

The train was being pushed and not pulled, Tyrell said.

Critics of the "push-pull" method, which involves having a locomotive pull in one direction and push in the other, say pushed cars are more vulnerable because the heavier locomotive isn't there for "crush protection."

At least a dozen riders who were injured in the Jan. 26 collision and deceased victims' survivors have sued Metrolink, claiming the transit agency negligently operated the trains by using the "push-pull" method.

According to Metrolink, nearly all commuter railroads in North America use the "push-pull" method, and the agency has complied with all federally set standards for its trains.