Train Hits Veterans Parade Trailer In Texas

[Acela026]

As sad and unfortunate as this is, it should be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/11/15/165244275/fatalities-reported-as-train-hits-veterans-parade-trailer-in-texas?sc=nl&cc=brk-20121115-2007

I see they already got a quote from a UP spokesperson, too.

Acela

[vsmith]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/train-crash-wounded-veterans-parade-texas_n_2140886.html

I am just jaw drop agasp at this story!

Witnesses state that the warning lights were working and that the train had its horn blasting yet the truck continued to roll through the crossing. Vets could see the train coming and were jumping off the trailer trying to get clear before the impact. I have a feeling the truck driver may be facing criminal charges.

[edblysard]

Nope, everyone will sue UP, the truck driver was most likely a volunteer, no cash and little insurance.

Sad for the vets, they didn’t deserve this, and sad for the train crew too.

[greyhounds]

What an awful thing to happen.

The statutory insurance requirement, as I understand it, is generally $1,000,000 for a commercial truck driver and another $1,000,000 for his/her employer.  That won't even start to cover the financial claims on this terrible incident.  I carry $1,000,000 insurance on myself by buying additional coverage at a moderate price from USAA.  (about 1 of 8 drivers on the road does not carry the legally required insurance.)

I too think the target of the legal actions will be the Union Pacific.  Because that's where the money is. 

The people of Midland were trying to do something nice for people (veterans) who deserve to be honored.  Then this happened.  It really bothers me.  But I know the people directly affected, including the train crew, are much more sickened than I.  May God grant them peace.

 

[baberuth73]

I wonder why a parade route that involved a live rail crossing would be selected? It seems that whatever entity chose such a route would bear some culpability in this matter.

[JoeKoh]

very sad situation.This kind of thing almost happened at deshler a few years ago during Deshler days.The football team was on the back of a semi and the gates went down.The train (K185)passed less than a foot in front of the rig. Praying for all involved.

stay safe

Joe

[edblysard]

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=8887522&pid=8887721

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=8887398&pid=8887721

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=8887686&pid=8887721

Local news links.

[BroadwayLion]

baberuth73

I wonder why a parade route that involved a live rail crossing would be selected? It seems that whatever entity chose such a route would bear some culpability in this matter.

Each year the town of TAYLOR ND sponsors a"Horsefest" and while the parade never crosses the tracks BNSF railroad is notified and trains pass through town at 10 mph. So my question is: "Was the Railroad notified"? If so it is a simple matter to hold a train outside of town during the parade. Railroads do cooperate with municipalities.

Note to event organizers: Let the Railroad know what you are doing. Who knows they may even enter a train in your parade!

ROAR

[richhotrain]

It is, indeed, a tragedy.

But I think it is best to stop the comments and finger pointing until the NTSB concludes its investigation and issues its findings.

Rich

[Anonymous]

It will be a long time before an official investigation announces the official cause, but in the meantime, I would hope that the news media could report the facts that were obvious to anyone seeing the crash. 

In one news report, they said that the truck hit was following a lead truck that was also carrying veterans in the same setup.  A driver following another driver always poses the prospect of distraction and risk taking.  The risk is that the following driver will lose the lead driver.

How fast was the train moving?  How fast was the truck moving?  Did the truck enter the crossing when it was clear, and then fail to clear the crossing before the train activated the signals?  Did the truck go around the lowered gate and enter the crossing? 

From scant photographic evidence, it appears to me that the train was moving no faster than 30 mph, and just barely caught the rear end of the trailer.

[John WR]

This is certainly a terrible tragedy.  On You Tube Sonny Cleere, and eye witness, reports that the flat bed truck has "half way across the tracks" when the gates came down.  The local newspaper reported a rider on the first float as saying that the train appeared very suddenly once the gates began to be lowered.  

I am not inclined to weigh in with a personal opinion before we have any reports from what will be exhaustive examinations of the facts.  However, it seems there are two logical possibilities here:

--Either there was a warning that the truck driver knew about or should have known about before starting across the tracks.  Since he was driving a truck with disabled veterans, many with amputations, sitting on the back he certainly had to have been driving slowly and would have been able to stop had there been a warning.  

--Or there was no warning.  He started across the tracks and the warning came then.  Because there was another truck of disabled vets ahead and parade crowds he was unable to pull ahead after the warning sounded.  

Some people wonder whether or not the Union Pacific Railroad was notified in advance of the parade so it could simply halt its train long enough for the parade to go by.  

Here is a link to the Mr. Cleere's eye witness account:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuiTpQwy6MM&feature=youtube_gdata

[zugmann]

richhotrain

But I think it is best to stop the comments and finger pointing until the NTSB concludes its investigation and issues its findings.

That'll never happen on this board.

[richhotrain]

zugmann

richhotrain

But I think it is best to stop the comments and finger pointing until the NTSB concludes its investigation and issues its findings.

That'll never happen on this board.

I mean, it is really a shame.

One guy offers his opinion that the train was going no more than 30 MPH.  Let's bring him in as an expert witness.

Another guy offers an eyewitness account, even though it has long been held that "eyewitness" accounts are more often unreliable than not.

I am sorry that I stumbled onto this thread, let alone contributed to it.

Rich

[Anonymous]

For real finger pointing, look at the comments following the news coverage on this crash.  There is an ocean of bitter and shrill condemnation of the parade planners.  Nobody seems to be blaming the U.P.  And they don’t seem to be blaming the truck driver either.  Interestingly, some of the national news coverage, however, has a distinct tone of blaming the train.

Even the news stream on this story is citing Facebook comments blaming the parade planners; for example:

 

“A Facebook page for Show of Support, which organized the "Hunt for Heroes" event, was filled with condolences on Friday morning.

"My thoughts & prayers go out to my fellow Veterans & their families & the whole community in Midland. This is such a tragic accident. So sad," said one message, posted by Jeff A. Bingham.

Others raised questions about the dangers posed by the parade route. "Taking them across those tracks in that manner and by NOT ENSURING their safety by ensuring traffic would NOT STOP was unnecessarily placing them in harm's way," posted Mitchell R. Mace.”

[jeffrey-wimberly]

OK folks, I have to agree that the comments and finger pointing need to stop. The mods have been alerted to this thread. Let's keep it civil.

[BroadwayLion]

In days of old, when pufferbellys roamed there was a station master at every station.

He could see the parade out his window and would have telegraphed the stations east and west to warn the trains approaching the crossing.

Now it may come as a surprise to many, but each and every crossing has a sign with a location number and a telephone number to call in should the crossing be blocked. They use these numbers all of the time, the fire department knows that they are there and how to notify the railroad if there is a fire near the tracks. The police department knows how to do this, the utility companies know how to do this, so do most contractors working near the railroad.

Parade Organizers? What the heck would they know. But the CITY SHOULD KNOW and as part of approving a parade permit should make proper notifications to the railroad. They will be pleased to stop their train and wave at the crowds, and especially to honor veterans. That is simply good PR. Plowing up a parade is bad PR. Railroads like good PR not bad PR.

Ergo: The railroad was not notified.

Now consider how towns are laid out in the west... They are built along railroad tracks. They are built on both sides of the railroad tracks. They *KNOW* that their are railroad tracks in their town, and they know that trains come through town. The SHOULD know that most any parade route will cross the tracks. They SHOULD PLAN for trains passing through town.

Let every City Father (and Mother) know from here on: No Parade Permits without notifying the Railroad.

ROAR

[Anonymous]

jeffrey-wimberly

OK folks, I have to agree that the comments and finger pointing need to stop. The mods have been alerted to this thread. Let's keep it civil.

 

 

Are you saying that we cannot comment on this crossing crash?

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I'm saying don't let it get out of control.

[Anonymous]

Okay, thanks for that clarification.

[overall]

One report I read said that there were police sirens going as part of the parade. This may have drowned out the train's whistle as he approached the crossing. The parade would proceed at about the same speed as a man walks. I agree with another comment that the float was on the crossing when the train approached and couldn't get out of the way fast enough.

George

[Anonymous]

From the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum:

http://ngdiscussion.net/phorum/read.php?1,229595,229600#msg-229600

Apparently this comment is based on local news coverage.  It is reported that the trucks were not on the parade route yet.  The first truck stopped at a traffic light and the second truck stopped on the crossing.

Here is the comment from the forum:

“The report that I read stated clearly that the truck was on its way to the parade and not yet on the parade route. The truck was apparently "trapped" on the crossing because the rig in front of him was stopped at a traffic signal. Crossing protective devices (lights and gates) are generally set up to provide 20 seconds of full protection before the train occupies the crossing. That's not much time to allow a trapped vehicle to escape, but studies have found that if protection activates earlier, drivers tend to get impatient and try to beat the approaching train. In many places, crossing protection and traffic signals are linked so the railroad signals override the traffic signal to allow trapped vehicles to escape. Obviously, a thorough investigation of the circumstances will fix responsibility on someone.”

[Paul3]

FYI: local news reports state that the speed limit for UP on that piece of track is 60mph.  It was increased in 2003 from 40-45mph.

Paul A. Cutler III

[samfp1943]

greyhounds

What an awful thing to happen.

'...The statutory insurance requirement, as I understand it, is generally $1,000,000 for a commercial truck driver and another $1,000,000 for his/her employer.  That won't even start to cover the financial claims on this terrible incident.  I carry $1,000,000 insurance on myself by buying additional coverage at a moderate price from USAA.  (about 1 of 8 drivers on the road does not carry the legally required insurance.)

I too think the target of the legal actions will be the Union Pacific.  Because that's where the money is. 

The people of Midland were trying to do something nice for people (veterans) who deserve to be honored.  Then this happened.  It really bothers me.  But I know the people directly affected, including the train crew, are much more sickened than I.  May God grant them peace...'

 

Thanks, Greyhounds! 

  I was shocked when this story popped up on Fox News, last evening. An unbelievably sickening incident; Inexplicably circumstances compounded this tragedy. I was personally torn by the story.

  Having spent a good deal of my adult life as a Veteran, and as an OTR trucker, and finished up in Trucking Transportation Safety.  The story originally listed the passengers on the flatbed trailer as "Wounded Warriors', that would have in my thought processes, indicated men and women who were personally incapacitated and incapable of quick movement due to injuries or amputations. They would have possibly been assisted by other individuals who were able bodied or less incapacitated(?).  At any rate one's heart has to mirror the agony of the circumstances of this event.

 Then you get to the Train's crew. Simply, doing their jobs. No telling how many times they had transited this section of their territory without incident. To be thrown into a life-changing circumstance, that will haunt them probably from that time forward.  You have to have sympathy for them and what will most likely be an ordeal for their families from now on.

'...Then this happened.  It really bothers me.  But I know the people directly affected, including the train crew, are much more sickened than I.  May God grant them peace...' Greyhounds

 

Thanks for expressing the thoughts of many of us here.

 

[tree68]

The location of the collision is here: N 31.98559 W 102.09350.  Plug that into your favorite mapping program.

The trucks were headed south on Garfield, and it does appear that there are lights at Garfield and Industrial.

All of the casualties were located on the south side of the crossing.

I would opine that what was done wrong here was the truck occupying the crossing before it was able to clear the crossing.  Warning or no, had the driver stopped short of the crossing, the collision would not have occured.

That said, I wasn't there, and don't know how traffic was progressing.  The driver may have thought that he would be able to proceed far enough to clear the crossing but got stopped short. 

One account I saw said that he was honking his horn, trying to get the truck ahead of him to move.

Police/fire radio traffic from the incident is on www.statter911.com.

[BaltACD]

CARDINAL RULE for any rail/highway crossing -

DO NOT enter the crossing unless you KNOW you can clear the crossing in a continuious movement.

This was not done!

 

[carnej1]

tree68

The location of the collision is here: N 31.98559 W 102.09350.  Plug that into your favorite mapping program.

The trucks were headed south on Garfield, and it does appear that there are lights at Garfield and Industrial.

All of the casualties were located on the south side of the crossing.

I would opine that what was done wrong here was the truck occupying the crossing before it was able to clear the crossing.  Warning or no, had the driver stopped short of the crossing, the collision would not have occured.

That said, I wasn't there, and don't know how traffic was progressing.  The driver may have thought that he would be able to proceed far enough to clear the crossing but got stopped short. 

One account I saw said that he was honking his horn, trying to get the truck ahead of him to move.

Police/fire radio traffic from the incident is on www.statter911.com.

Looking at the location on google maps, both aerial(not satellite), ans "streetview" seem to show that it might be possible for a line of vehicles stopped at one of the lights to have a traffic backup onto the tracks.

 While this shouldn't happen i gather that in the real world it sometimes does. I recall reading about a schoolbus accident some years ago where the bus was stuck behind another vehicle stopped at a light which left the rear of the bus in the path of the train...

[edblysard]

baberuth73

I wonder why a parade route that involved a live rail crossing would be selected? It seems that whatever entity chose such a route would bear some culpability in this matter.

Midland is bisected by the tracks, almost dead center through the downtown /”main street” area, you literally cannot go from one side of town to the other without crossing them.

[AgentKid]

BroadwayLion

while the parade never crosses the tracks BNSF railroad is notified and trains pass through town at 10 mph

The Calgary Stampede Parade, one of the biggest in Canada, is in a somewhat similar situation. The parade never crosses the CPR mainline, but does run parallel to the ROW for a number of blocks. Starting long ago, so many families who knew nothing of railway operations would be all over the tracks getting to a good location to view the parade, that the CPR determined the best thing to do was to stop operating altogether.

Trains would stop about six in the morning, when the transit system would start bringing families down to the route. After the parade was over, it wasn't simply a matter of starting up again. They used to send the Roadmaster and a number of MOW workers over the area with a fine tooth comb to look for anything left in the area before the Roadmaster would give the Superintendent the all clear to start operating again. I seem to recall this exercise used to take a couple of hours, until 1:30 or 2 PM.

My sympathies to all involved in this terrible incident.

Bruce

[Anonymous]

I wonder if the engineer set or dumped the air a substantial distance before impact; possibly even before the signals activated.  With a pair of flatbed trucks stopped at the light and one of them fouling the track.  An engineer might take preemptive action upon seeing a high probability of the truck not clearing in time.  Engineers are probably aware of the tendency for vehicles to back up on the crossing when waiting at the traffic lights there. 

I read that it took a half mile to stop.  That suggests to me that they started braking prior to reaching the crossing, and had slowed down considerably by the time they hit the trailer. 

I base that on seeing the trailer still upright and connected to truck tractor, but turned 90 degrees to it.  It suggests to me that the train hit the last few feet of the trailer at moderate speed, causing it to quickly pivot into the clear, pivoting on its connection to the tractor.

[trainguy4466]

I heard of this tragic accident this morning on my way out the door and was surprised at the situation. Most of what has already been said here demonstrates my feelings on the matter. However, I was both shocked and saddened to learn that the father of one of my classmates was one of the casualties of this accident. For respect towards my classmate and her family I won't mention names, but being a native Texan, her mother and father had left her here in NC long enough for them to attend the parade. While I don't know her well personally, she is easily one of the nicest people I know and I hope you will all keep her and her family in your thoughts as we learn more about this accident.