Lakeland, Fl. train/car wreck

[unkadug]

Amtrak train collides with car and kills four

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/16/train.collision.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

LAKELAND, Florida (AP) -- An Amtrak train struck a car at a railroad crossing Monday, killing four people in the car, police said.

Rescue workers at the scene of Monday's train crash which killed four in South Florida.

There were no injuries on the train, authorities said.

The car drove around the crossing gate, witnesses said. The impact threw the car into the air, and the train came to a halt about 300 yards down the track, they said.

"The car is totally demolished," Lakeland police spokesman Jack Gillen said.

The Silver Star was traveling from Miami to New York with 161 passengers aboard, Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell said. The train had stopped in Tampa before the accident.

It was not immediately known how fast the train was going or what caused the accident. The authorized speed for that area is 79 mph.

 

[dandaman]

Authorized speed 79 mph?!

 

[The Mom]

Yes, 79MPH. The train had "clear sailing" ie, there were no other trains approaching, no trestles, etc, and all of the crossing arms/warning lights were functioning, so they were going at the accepted speed. So they have the "road" to themselves, with no expectation that they would have something in the way.

I've stopped for that particular train many, many times, but have seen cars go around the crossing arms.

 

[TowerOfTerror]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...n071607,0,3812806.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout

Willoughby Mariano and Elaine Aradillas | Sentinel Staff Writers 10:09 PM EDT, July 16, 2007 LAKELAND - Four people, three females and one male, were killed when an Amtrak train struck the car they were in this afternoon.

The crash took place at 3:20 p.m. at a railroad crossing at South Wabash Avenue and Olive Street, said Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero. The intersection is on the west side of town.

The eastbound Silver Star was carrying 161 people when it crashed with the northbound vehicle. None of the train passengers were injured, Romero said.



One person was ejected from the vehicle, said Lakeland police spokesman Jack Gillen.

"All occupants of the vehicle were killed," Gillen said this evening. "There's still some entrapment of people in the vehicle."

An official cause of the crash has yet to be determined, but witnesses reported seeing the vehicle approach the intersection, pass a car that was stopped for the train, and drive around the railroad crossing gate.

The crash took place in an industrial area of Lakeland next door to a supermarket distribution center.

At the scene this evening, dozens of people crowded around the crash site, watching as rescue workers struggled to free bodies from the wreckage. Some were relatives who wanted to see for themselves where their loved ones died.

There was little left. The maroon vehicle was crushed so badly it was barely recognizable as a car. The force of the crash scattered debris 200 yards.

The speed limit at that intersection is 79 mph, Romero said. She did not know if it was traveling at that speed at the time of the crash.

The Silver Star line runs from Miami to New York. It had left the Tampa at about 1 p.m. and was scheduled to make its next stop in Lakeland.

There was some engine damage to the train, Romero said. Once it is released by authorities, it will likely continue on its route. This may take about 2 hours.

Just like The Mom said. :brick: Feel bad for the other three passengers though.

 

[The Mom]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...n071607,0,3812806.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout



Just like The Mom said. :brick: Feel bad for the other three passengers though.

Someone I know is a (now retired) engineer. I feel bad for the one involved in this accident, as he will have nightmares about this for years. They SEE the vehicle, try to stop in time, but know that they can't. However, they do generally slow down enough to see faces, and have to live with THAT for the rest of their lives.

I also feel for the first responders as they have nightmares, too.

And I feel bad for the family members/friends who have to spend the rest of THEIR lives thinking that it didn't have to happen.

 

[SpongeScott]

 

[dandaman]

Yes, 79MPH. The train had "clear sailing" ie, there were no other trains approaching, no trestles, etc, and all of the crossing arms/warning lights were functioning, so they were going at the accepted speed.

All right... being a train buff all my life, I should've known this.

I actually thought that meant the CAR'S authorized speed. Obviously THAT would have been a bit excessive. :hammer:

Though I wouldn't have thought the trains would be able to do around 80 in (what I think is) such a built-up area. :shrug:

 

[The Mom]

The story didn't say how fast the train was going, just what the authorized speed was. I know that the same train travels at around 55-60MPH when passing through my neighborhood, which is NOT a rural area, and is barely suburban. I know this, because one of the main N-S routes (US 17) runs parallel to the track about a mile or two from my house, and the triggering of the arms gives me a green light from under the I-10/95 junction to Orange Park if I time it correctly. However, if I need to cross the track at some point, I either have to go faster (not wise) or slow down (wise)

 

[dandaman]

...You live pretty much in Jacksonville, then, correct? I remember taking that route for some reason when we visited J.U. last August. Must have missed a turn-off somewhere. :lol:

In any case, it just seems like that's a VERY high authorized speed to me. :shrug:

 

[maggiegrace1]

Praying for the victims families..

 

[eagles]

how sad.

prayers to all involved.

 

[The Mom]

...You live pretty much in Jacksonville, then, correct? I remember taking that route for some reason when we visited J.U. last August. Must have missed a turn-off somewhere. :lol:

In any case, it just seems like that's a VERY high authorized speed to me. :shrug:

Very much so. I can walk to downtown, if I'm feeling energetic.