2 Dead in Amtrak vs Car, Berwyn, IL>

[TimChgo9]

 Yesterday afternoon, 2 people were killed when the driver of a car, decided to play "beat the train",  running a stop sign, and driving around lowered gates the car was hit by the westbound "California Zephyr" which was traveling at about 60 miles per hour.  The car was pushed three blocks, and in the process, tore up the barrier fence in between tracks 2 and 3 (or was it 1 and 2, I can never tell)  Both occupants of the car were killed instantly, and were so mangled that identification was going to be difficult.  No names have been relased, but the car was also un-recognizable as well. 

One question:  When are people going to "get it" when it comes to trains, and crossings, and stuff like that.  2 people were killed needlessly, and their families are suffering, because of a moment's impatience. 

[eolafan]

http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/882402/ShowPost.aspx

See link above.

[Anonymous]

No excuse for stupidity, however Berwyn is directly west of Clyde yard and there have been numerous accidents there for many years. It's not unusual to get stuck for 15-20+ minutes by freights going into or out of the yard at yard limit speeds or stopped completely. The nearest underpasses are a 30 minute round trip, and what's really ironic is there's a major Hospital with an ER about a block from the station and I vaguely recall a fire department ambulance getting hit by a train. Beating the train is quite common, but when the train happens to be Amtrak or a Metra express... Most of the suburbs along the racetrack with Hospitals have at least one under or overpass nearby or aren't affected by slow moving trains. I'm not familiar with the politics, but IMO Berwyn is one town that really needs an underpass.

[SchemerBob]

 Yesterday afternoon, 2 people were killed when the driver of a car, decided to play "beat the train",  running a stop sign, and driving around lowered gates the car was hit by the westbound "California Zephyr" which was traveling at about 60 miles per hour.  The car was pushed three blocks, and in the process, tore up the barrier fence in between tracks 2 and 3 (or was it 1 and 2, I can never tell)  Both occupants of the car were killed instantly, and were so mangled that identification was going to be difficult.  No names have been relased, but the car was also un-recognizable as well. 

One question:  When are people going to "get it" when it comes to trains, and crossings, and stuff like that.  2 people were killed needlessly, and their families are suffering, because of a moment's impatience. 

If you race a train...most likely you're going to get hit. They chose to race the train, they could have waited...but they didin't. They deserve what they got.

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

Unfortunately, this sort of thing will continue to happen all over the country as long as we have STUPID people who ignore the dangers of playing "chicken" with a train. And I believe that there is a segment of our society that Operation Lifesaver will never be able to reach.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

 

 

[blhanel]

No excuse for stupidity, however Berwyn is directly west of Clyde yard and there have been numerous accidents there for many years. It's not unusual to get stuck for 15-20+ minutes by freights going into or out of the yard at yard limit speeds or stopped completely. The nearest underpasses are a 30 minute round trip, and what's really ironic is there's a major Hospital with an ER about a block from the station and I vaguely recall a fire department ambulance getting hit by a train. Beating the train is quite common, but when the train happens to be Amtrak or a Metra express... Most of the suburbs along the racetrack with Hospitals have at least one under or overpass nearby or aren't affected by slow moving trains. I'm not familiar with the politics, but IMO Berwyn is one town that really needs an underpass.

Hmmm... could it be that the driver thought he was trying to beat a slow-moving switcher coming out of the yard, and didn't see the Zephyr in the next track?  I'm not trying to justify his/her actions, I just can't understand how someone can be so impatient that they can't wait for a fast-moving passenger train.