Large Scale Central

Amtrak vs Truck Today in Nevada

General Discussion
#1

At least two people died Friday morning in a fiery collision between an Amtrak train and a semi-truck on a rural northern Nevada highway, 35 miles north of Fallon.“A commercial vehicle failed to yield to the Amtrak, striking the Amtrak in the second dorm car, which is the fourth car back,” Lopez said.According to Capt. John Haugen of the Churchill County Sheriff’s Department, the accident happened at the railroad crossing about a mile south of Trinity Junction at Interstate 80 and Highway 95 Alternate in Churchill County.

Too many dumb butted people out there!

#2

Could always be a “proof of concept” test, semi at grade crossing is way easy to do.

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#3

When it comes down to the explanation being between sheer stupidity vs dark conspiracy, 99% of the time the cause is the stupidity. :wink:

#4
Victor Smith said:
When it comes down to the explanation being between sheer stupidity vs dark conspiracy, 99% of the time the cause is the stupidity. ;)
Ya, ain't that the truth.
#5

Stupidity, and laziness, are much simpler than conspiracy.

#6

According to a Yahoo news report, the company has been cited multiple times for violations. Multiple and varying degrees of severity including bald tires, inoperable brakes, etc. It doesn’t take Einstein to figure out how this went down.

Bob C.

#7

I finally ran across a report on this crash that had more than the basic info. The grade crossing is on a 4 lane highway with 70 MPH speeds. The tractor-trailer left 600 feet of skid marks, so it wasn’t an intentional hit. Must have been distracted and didn’t notice the crossing until way too late. 2 other rigs traveling with him stopped in plenty of time.

#8

That would make sense Jon.

#9

How much ya wanna bet theres a text message at the root of it all. No way to prove it, call it a gut feeling, but just based on all the problems with people driving while texting it wouldnt surprise me at all.

#10
Victor Smith said:
How much ya wanna bet theres a text message at the root of it all. No way to prove it, call it a gut feeling, but just based on all the problems with people driving while texting it wouldnt surprise me at all.
I think I read that they had recovered the driver's cell phone and were pulling the logs. TSB expects it to be months before they release their report.

I was thinking earlier today that since most all phones now incorporate GPS, that perhaps they should automatically be disabled when moving faster than 3 or 4 MPH. Would rule out use by passengers on any conveyance, but the amount of carnage caused by this technology is growing out of control.

#11

Good points, Jon. Over in UK last year I was the prime witness to a collision between a Range Rover driven by a texter and a sedan on a traffic circle. The RR had failed to stop or even slow down as it approached. The car he hit on the passenger side was being used to drive three senior police officers to a conference at the county police HQ.

As the RR driver got out of his car he was STILL on the phone…

tac

#12
tac said:
The car he hit on the passenger side was being used to drive three senior police officers to a conference at the county police HQ.
:D

I take it he claimed police brutality and entrapment. And a judge believed him.

#13

Why would a 4-lane highway be posted at 70MPH with a main rail line (AMTRAK?) crossing it. THAT is not right. Should have been a speed reduction prior.
Can you imagine hitting a grade crossing at 70, and what it might do to your tyres and/or suspension?
Knock all the filaments outta yer lights anyway.
600 feet of skids?
A car at 60 leaves about 160’ of skids on asphalt.
100’ skidmarks often indicate about 85MPH for a truck…
Extrapolated, about 500MPH to leave 600’ skid marks. Are we sure it was a truck and not the Space Shuttle making an emergency landing on a highway in the middle of nowhere?

#14

I definitely agree with questioning why any road would have a 70mph limit anywhere within at least 1 mile of that crossing. So Nevada was too cheap to build an overpass for the highway (I would bet the tracks were there long before a multi-lane 70mph highway existed)

Now some details, according to the LA Times on June 26:

“There was a warning signal 897 feet before the crossing, Weener said. The truck driver apparently slammed on his brakes, starting a skid mark on Highway 95 northbound that stretched 320 feet up to the tracks.
The truck was headed north on the road, which crosses the tracks at about a 45-degree angle. The road has a posted 70-mph speed limit. The truck could have required as much as 465 feet to stop if it was going the speed limit, according to widely used estimates.”

That at least puts the speed vs skid marks in correct perspective.

#15

Thanks Al - My post was in error. I think I read 300 feet, not 600 feet in the article I saw which agrees with what you read.

#16

And another in Maine.

Loco caught fire. Engineer got it disconnected from the train before coaches caught fire.

#17

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/06/27/general-us-amtrak-truck-crash_8538129.html

150’ is a whole lot less than 600’. Claim is he “was going “at a considerable speed” in a 70 mph zone”.
Good read.