Amtrak Accident - Non-Working Crossing Signals

[Chris30]

Hello,

The Chicago Tribune is now reporting that the CN crew witnessed the crash:

"Believing they had fixed malfunctioning railroad gates and warning lights, Canadian National Railway workers let an Amtrak train pass through the intersection at full speed as a test, only to watch it barrel into a car on the tracks and kill the driver behind the wheel, according to sources involved in the accident probe.

Investigators interviewed a CN worker who saw the line of vehicles converging on the University Park crossing as the Chicago-bound train approached at 78 mph, then ran toward the SUV driven onto the tracks by Katie Lunn, a Chicago dance instructor.

Desperately hoping to save her, the worker got to within about 30 feet of Lunn's car when it was broadsided by the passenger train Friday night.

'The CN crew came back specifically to test the crossing system with that northbound Amtrak train at about 9:30,' said a rail safety investigator who spoke with the CN technician who tried to save Lunn, 26, who lived in Lincoln Park. "

Full story:

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/04/university-park-amtrak-crash-lunn-canadian-national.html

CC

 

[BaltACD]

Disabling malfunctioning crossing protection while awaiting parts to repair it, or taking the protection out of service during major track work are not uncommon occurrences. 

There are procedures to be followed first of which is to notify the Train Dispatcher so that the appropriate 'Stop & Flag' train order can be issued to all trains operating over the crossing(s) that have disabled crossing protection.  If this was done, and the train order was issued to the train involved then the responsibility flows to the train crew involved.   If it wasn't done, the onus is on the Signal Maintainer.  If the Maintainer got the appropriate information to the Train Dispatcher, but the Dispatcher did not get it to ALL the affected trains then the onus is on the Train Dispatcher.

[AntonioFP45]

Wow!  Saddening tragedy.  Poor Amtrak, although innocent will likely be included in the multi-million dollar lawsuit that may come at it from the lady's family.  Canadian National is going to sink in this one.  Likely the guy in charge of that track maintenance crew is going to be grilled as well.  No winners in this case.

[tree68]

There was an incident a while back which was very similar.  It was a rural crossing and a car full of kids (or at least a couple).  While there may have been arguments that the teens should have seen the train coming, the key sticking point was the crossing protection having been disabled and the signal maintainer returning after the accident (but while authorities were still on-scene) and trying to pull the shunt.

That said, it'll be hard to defend in court...

 

 

[chatanuga]

Read about the accident the other day online.  Was surprised today to hear that the signals were left disabled.  I know I always approach all crossings, including crossings with signals, as though a train is approaching and am always prepared to stop since I never go by what the crossing signals are doing.  In this case, even though the drivers should check the tracks before crossing, it sounds like CN could be in trouble over this since it was their workers that had disabled the signals and not a mechanical failure.

Kevin

[richhotrain]

A young woman was killed late Friday evening at a normally protected Amtrak crossing in University Park, just south of Chicago.  Apparently, a track repair crew forgot to reactivate the crossing signals according to the story:

http://www.southtownstar.com/news/2176650,042010uptrain.article