Sketchy reports that Tr #20 hit a car near Toccoa Ga. Friday night Three occupants were killed.
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/3-austell-residents-killed-amtrak-train/nXgtw/
This was a crossing only marked by a crossbucks. Was 2 track. Crescent arrived NYP 4 hrs late.
edit --- Happened just south of Toccoa station. Train left ATL on time and arrived almost 5 hr late at Toccoa station.
http://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/georgia/3-killed-when-car-collides-with-train-in-north-ga/nXg3T/
All I can say is that this is sad. No crossing gates.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Sounds like it is a public crossing but this was possibly the only auto this day across it, thus no gates, lights and bells. It was properly "protected" but the driver wasn't properly aware or reactive to the signs and the laws nor the common sense of driving such crossings.
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henry6Sounds like it is a public crossing but this was possibly the only auto this day across it,
I do assume, Henry, this was a crossing that was seldom used by cars. Still, there is a road there. Is a standard crossing gate with bars coming down, blinking red lights and a bell to expensive for grade crossings which are rarely used?
There is a standard or rules or whatever governing what protection a crossing gets based on auto usage. One car a day or a week would not warrant anything more than cross bucks or maybe a stop sign. Usually such roads are used by local people who know or should know the railroad routine. If it is public instead of private, then the train has to blow its horn; if it is private, then the horn usually need not be blown and the private owner is responsible for his own and users safety and use.
I would like to see a human factors ivestigation of this accident. The driver was apparently from Austell, Ga. which has some crossings but are all protected by lights and gates and of course cross bucks. Accident was at night with just cross bucks. Maybe driver anticipated lights if train was coming close ? ?
Maybe it is time for cross buck only crossings to get the 45 degree reflectors on the cross bucks ?> Is it Ohio that has them ?
Not from GA but would thing just crossbucks would make one to "stop, look, and listen" before proceeding across tracks...lack of lights and gates puts onus on auto driver to be alert.
henry6lack of lights and gates puts onus on auto driver to be alert.
It sure does.
henry6 .lack of lights and gates puts onus on auto driver to be alert.
.lack of lights and gates puts onus on auto driver to be alert.
blue streak 1 henry6 .lack of lights and gates puts onus on auto driver to be alert. My point is that this is an unlighted rural road that maybe the driver thought that there was lights there ? With all the rain in the area it was a somewhat foggy night thru out north Georgia; although I do not know if there was fog at that location. The area is also somewhat higher in elevation that could have caused fog. So a human factors study of this accident is certainly called for but willl not happen unless the NTSB is involved. Don't expect state of Ga to do one .
And don't expect the NTSB to get involved in a 'run of the mill' crossing incident that involved a private automobile.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Reminds me of a line from an Emily Dickinson poem.
"Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me."
I don't know if the lady knew about grade crossing accidents, but she just might have.
Firelock76"Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me."
Apparently even death rides Amtrak.
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