Three people in an SUV were killed and fourth was injured when the SUV drove directly into the path of a CN coal train in Marissa, Illinois near St. Louis this morning. A woman was driving her daughter and two other schools to school when the accident occurred. The mother, her daughter and one of the other girls were pronounced dead at the scene. The Marissa police chief was quoted by Fox News as saying, "According to the conductor, the driver made no attempt to stop and drove right into the path of the train." No word on whether the lights/gates were working if the crossing was so equipped. Will people ever learn...
Ross R.
"Another Senseless Accident".....as opposed to the 'accidents' that DO make sense...?
If it is true that the train was heading into the glare of the sun, then the front of that train should have been brightly lit. I wouldn't be surprised to find an activated cell phone on the floor of the vehicle.
Too bad for the passengers; they were the helpless victims, as were the train crews.
Dennis,
Some reporters are incredibly talented at instantly putting a slant on a tragic story. So typical and irresponsible, yet very common.
Good point that there's no way the engineer could have stopped all that tonnage in time. Top it off, if he supposedly didn't see her he still likely saw the "W" (whistle) sign post and blew the standard crossing ---- ---- o ---- sequence. ( Unless it was one of those "quiet" zones ). It's sad but this woman was likely in a hurry and lost the race.
My condolences to the family and friends.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
There were flashing lights at the crossing, but the SUV busted them up so it will take some checking to see if they were working. One of the people interviewed on the local news was very angry that there were no gates. The newspeople whom I watched, for once, seemed very impartial rather than biased against the Rwy. as some are.
One witness who was interviewed was very upset and crying because she had seen all the SUV occupants come flying out at impact. This may be the lady named in the news story who covered the victims as noted. She seems pretty levelheaded and compassionate, but by the time she was interviewed maybe the adrenaline had worn off.
Very saddening article. There were warning lights at the crossing but no gates.
It's interesting that CN had plans to replace them by 2010 "with the town's help". I guess the costs must be quite high.
If I were guessing I would make two points:
1. As before mentioned...she might have been on a cell phone. The number of people out there driving and talking is HUGE. I am included in that number. I use a handsfree device, which doesnt make it completely right, but when you are holding something while driving it seems to take away your ability to concentrate. I hate driving and holding a phone up to my ear. Dont know if there is anything been determined about it or not, but it doesnt seem safe to me.
2. Taking the kids to school. I wonder if she was running late? Either for school or for work. We had a tragic accident years ago when a young man tried to beat the train getting to school He was running late and the school had a tough "no late" policy for summer school.
What a horrible accident.
ed
AntonioFP45 wrote:Some reporters are incredibly talented at instantly putting a slant on a tragic story. So typical and irresponsible, yet very common.
Me thinks there is a story and a reason these things happen.
Everyone agrees that the school kids were on way to school. It is not hard to understand that the family going to the school probably crossed those tracks every day.
Regardless of the reasons or the causes, a family died because they did not stop for the train.
These deaths will continue to claim people of all kinds until you either raise the road 30 feet or the tracks 30 feet over the roadway so that no one can drive ONTO the tracks and die there.
A few fills, a dallop of concrete and maybe a bit of bridge and voila! Yer free and clear for at least 50 years and only need to keep up the ROW.
IF they did not stop for the train, they shore are stopped now.
LOOK LISTEN AND LIVE.
Thats what you get for being stupid. The red "flashing"( how many times do we need to tell people) lights mean STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!! Simple as that. But people like her don't get it so they pay the ultimate price.. what a shock.
Happy railroading
James
The most stunningly stupid thing I've ever seen is a guy duck under the crossing gates and walk in front of a train on foot. Luckily for him, the train wasn't a through Amtrack (it was right next to the Williamsburg, VA rail station), but I couldn't believe that someone would be that stupid.
Its amazing that people will put their kids at risk to save a few seconds - I also once saw on the Washington Metro, a woman pushing a baby carriage try to beat the closing doors and she ended up getting her baby caught in the door - fortunately, the Metro has a light system to let the operator know that the door was still open, but several people had to pull the door open to free the child (and of course, everyone on the train was delayed by her arrogant stupidity). Don't think the baby was injured.
It always amazes me how stupid people will be to save a few minutes.
Not that it would have made a difference in this particular incident, but if the bodies were tossed out of the wreckage... makes me think no one was wearing a seat belt, which is irresponsible behavior for an adult driver in addition to not checking to see if the crossing is clear. Strapping in is the law in Illinois for all occupants in a vehicle.
I wish I had $5 for every fatality I saw due to non-compliance of the seat belt law. Many drivers died from internal injuries after being thrust against the steering wheel in what should have been a survivable crash -- or front-seat passengers who put their heads through the windshield.
You remind me of what we used to call a spiderweb, Poppa. For those of you not familiar with crash investigations, it's a round bulge in a windshield with radiating cracks which was made by someone's head. Rap on your windshield and imagine the force necessary to create that bulge.
Someone mentioned cost. An article in the Post-Dispatch quoted the price of $250,000. And they have moved up the date of construction to 2008.
Years ago, I investigated a crash on the IC just adjacent to Belleville East High School. It was an unmarked crossing, luckily the kids survived although they had severe injuries. A couple of years later, we got a court order to examine the report of the ICRR at the Illinois Commerce Commission in Springfield. Without being too wordy, the ICRR recommended that the crossing should have flashers and gates. Their suggestion was that 80% of the cost should be paid by the city, 15% by the state and 5% by the ICRR.
To date the above, the train was an IC passenger train.
Finally, the Post reported Friday that CN is going to build a spur to a power plant. It will go through Marissa and cross four roads at grade. Imagine the howling.
I dont go around gates, unless there is no train. Seldom do I go over tracks when the warning lights are flashing.
However, I certainly get upset when a train pulls past a road, then either stops or slows down. The worst situation I encountered was thsi summer when a CN train came to a stop and then switched crews! It tied up all crossings for over 20 minutes...I checked the clock. Now, that is no excuse for people to go around the gates, or attempt to beat the train, BUT...dont tie up traffic.
Ishmael wrote: You remind me of what we used to call a spiderweb, Poppa. For those of you not familiar with crash investigations, it's a round bulge in a windshield with radiating cracks which was made by someone's head. Rap on your windshield and imagine the force necessary to create that bulge. Someone mentioned cost. An article in the Post-Dispatch quoted the price of $250,000. And they have moved up the date of construction to 2008. Years ago, I investigated a crash on the IC just adjacent to Belleville East High School. It was an unmarked crossing, luckily the kids survived although they had severe injuries. A couple of years later, we got a court order to examine the report of the ICRR at the Illinois Commerce Commission in Springfield. Without being too wordy, the ICRR recommended that the crossing should have flashers and gates. Their suggestion was that 80% of the cost should be paid by the city, 15% by the state and 5% by the ICRR. To date the above, the train was an IC passenger train. Finally, the Post reported Friday that CN is going to build a spur to a power plant. It will go through Marissa and cross four roads at grade. Imagine the howling.
Ishmael;
I cannot speak to the laws of Illinois or Missouri, but I understand that the way crossing automation process works; a document is produced stating the request/ need for automated protection at a specific crossing, the crossing is then studied by the State Highway Dept/Community Traffic Engineering Dept, and a recomendation is issued which goes before the various juristictions involved. Then if that is a positive outcome, then money is provided by the political entity which governs that crossing to purchase the equipment [the automation equipment is NOT inexpensive!] for that particular crossing. At that point the railroad crews install the equipment and the railroad is then responsible for continuing maintenance of the crossing. Generally, The railroad is only required to provide and maintain a crossbuck[s] for warning of trains at a crossing.
Mud chicken can probably shed some better light on this process...
I'm not sure of the law in Illinois at that time, Sampf. My law firm was representing the kids, and our court order was for the IC's report on the case. We were not given a copy, I had to drive up to Springfield, and was just allowed to read the report and take notes. Those figures stuck in my mind, although I'm sure the IC would have had to maintain the signals.
This crossing was within a block of a high school and the IC line was St. Louis-Carbondale. The passenger trains used to fly through there.
I've been retired for almost 10 years and am not up to date on the laws of either Illinois or Missouri anymore. Sorry I couldn't have been of more help.
Very well put. Especially " preaching to the chior". We all know the dangers of all grade crossings, but the only time it is brought to the publics attention is when a tragedy such as this occurs. The other victims were on the head end of the train, watching this tragedy unfold right in front of them, and being completly hepless. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well as the children and their families.
Operation Lifesaver is a wonderful program, but again it also falls under "preaching to the chior"
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