Accident caught in camera.

Whistle posts are placed according to the track speed at the crossing location. The Federal rule requires that the whistle post be placed so as to provide a 20-second warning time at track speed before an engine occupies the crossing.

Whistle posts on 79 mph track are a lot farther from the crossing than on 25 mph track. It is not just an arbitrary 1/4 mile distance.

If it was a 400,000 ton train, the railroad would still be looking for enough locomotives to power it! That would be 4,000 ton train, which is a medium-weight train in today's world.

400,000 tons...right.    Journalism is dead.

Hey Rich, whats a few extra zeros here or there between friends?

At about 200 tons alone, I wouldn't even want to be hit by the locomotive!

Don

Okay, so the press got a few extra zeroes in. But the bottom line is this: you're just as dead from a 4-ton train hitting you at 30+MPH than a 4000-ton train.

Real or not real?

     Look at the frames, what do you think? - Click to enlarge frames.

Gary-I don't get it....What are you talking about?

My thoughts exactly. I don't think it is necessary nor particularly appropriate to debate whether or not this accident is "real" considering two people were killed. It clearly is. 

reading Lamings' post got me going because he is so correct!

   train signals.........horn blasting......clearly a RR grade crossing.....HOW COULD ANYONE NOT SEE THE TRAIN?

  I guess the 3rd most popular activity to do while you are in the drivers seat is to PAY ATTENTION!

Hi SJC • This thread was started by AG - River Leaf Model - He started this thread and I am answering his question. he said......

"I don't know if it is real or not."

     If you read the history of this channel that posted the YT video, it is somewhat sketchy and no details in his description, like what, when and where.  Hope this helps?

To Clarify.

I received the video, because there is so many fake videos in the net was hard to believe. this is why I ask if it is real, but judging after i saw the second one I guess it is, I said.

 Andre.

As I suspected on the original thread regarding this accident, " Ill bet they were texting and didn't even know what hit them".

Being that it was four teenagers you can bet on it. They didn't notice the train, or the "railfan"s for that manner. All of the arm waving in the world wouldn't have been noticed.

As a truck driver, folks texting and driving far outnumber those who don't, and if its a teenager its guaranteed.

I've seen people on facebook, you name it, even texting on two different phones at the same time.

Whistle posts on 79 mph track are a lot farther from the crossing than on 25 mph track. It is not just an arbitrary 1/4 mile distance.

  Ok thanks Rich,,,  North of the border they still are 1/4  mile unless other wise noted . (special instruction.) I believe the  crossing circuits  are certainly longer, They activate long before the whistle post in  most  cases on high speed track. They may even be electronically controlled taking in speed of the train rather than the insulated track  detectors,  I'm out of the loop now though.

After reading several newspapers & watching clips form Louisville, KY TV Stations, it is true. When I see something on You Tube, you can not trust YT, for your news.

Below is a link and photo, from WLKY TV-32.

http://www.wlky.com/news/two-p...ck-by-train/31806814

A teenage girl killed (murdered) a family of 4.  That day, a text message was more important to her than driving on a divided high way. The teenager hit the family-wife and all 3 children less than 6 yrs old-head on at over 60 mph. The mother did everything she could in those final seconds to stop-teenager never hit the brakes.

Phone records reported the facts later.  Teen was texting.

Don't worry, the teenager survived (sarcasm).  Teenager's mom was on news stating how they knew she had a 'texting and driving problem' but, and I quote, "we didn't think she'd hurt anything". Are you ####ing serious?  How about some parent intervention?  Oh, that's not politically correct anymore...

Too bad the teen murder wasn't with me that day in Afghanistan.  I was with the husband when the Commanding Officer gave him the Red Cross message and told him his family was dead. By the way, we were 4 days from going home.

The teen murder will spend the rest of her miserable life in a wheel chair and eating from a straw.  Justice served? I don't think so.  But I don't make those decisions. I do hope she spends the rest of her pathetic life in misery for what she has done.

If the driver in the KY accident was texting, they'll know when they have the phone records.  I sure hope the driver wasn't.

WHEW, off my 'soap box' now!

Why not confirm the video by checking other sources? The story has been reported by several national and local news outlets and The 2 survivors are now reported as having sustained brain injuries. 

While it will indeed be very easy to check if the driver was doing something with the phone at the time, I have to ask what difference does it make what the driver was doing? Texting, not texting, talking, changing radio stations, or just doing the whole, "Teen obliviousness" bit, two passengers are just dead, no matter what.

Sorry, but there's no comfort or smugness coming to anyone regardless what the driver was (or wasn't) doing at the time.

quote:

Sorry, but there's no comfort or smugness coming to anyone regardless what the driver was (or wasn't) doing at the time.

The FRA certainly doesn't see it that way in regards to railroading accidents that involve fatalities: They get to the bottom of what the crew was doing prior to, and at the time, of the accident.  If needed, they create new rules/regulations and we (railroaders) have to live with the results.

Why should highway/driving safety be any different for the powers that be?  I'm beginning to wonder if texting while driving is more deadly than alcohol-related highway fatalities. Certainly seems more prevalent to me. Perhaps it's time for considering widespread laws that make texting/etc unlawful with stiff penalties for infractions?

Seems that SOMETHING really needs to be done.

There is.  Almost all modern cell/smart/ipad/tablets phones have GPS.  Simple matter to have GPS disable phone if speed more than say 5 mph.  Yes everyone's cell in car would be disabled (but hey stupid drivers, you bought this on yourselves, live with it).  Yes, There might be instance of where cell phone needed to report drunk driving or worst, but even then phone would reconnect to tower if call was to 911 service.

Ah yes, the magical, 'something'.
So, what exactly is that something? You can't prevent people to stop doing stuff that isn't safe for them and others. Drunk driving, for example, is a well known crime with some stiff punishments for the most part. But people keep doing it.

• Speeding
• Riding a motorcycle without a helmet
• Driving without a seatbelt
• Texting while driving

All of these are crimes, yet I saw people doing all of these on the way to work this morning.

laming,

I had briefs 2 weeks ago that determined text driving is deadlier than drunk driving.  As you can imagine, I have to approach this in a tactful way with 18-25 yr olds veterans of multiple combat deployments and are "Type A" hardcore "I can do anything" attitude.  All they hear is The Old Man said, "drunk driving is safer"    

It's easy-they outlaw cell phone use while operating a vehicle. Just as Europe has done.

Still won't stop people from using them while driving though. Most Americans can't drive for #### anyway-without a distraction in the car.  

Oh, for those of you doing the right thing-sorry...We'll punish all for a few dumb ###es who lack good decision making skills.

laming-thanks for your hard work.  I fully understand heavy regulations and have thought a lot about the crew of that train and what they'll go through-both professionally and personally.

quote:

Ah yes, the magical 'something'.

Ah yes, the sarcastic reply.

No need to be sarcastic, Slick, just a phrase I used to express concern.

In my line of work, IF I should disobey the FRA-mandated "Electronic Device" rules and get caught doing so, I can be terminated, thus lose my livelihood.  Result? The use of an electronic device simply isn't worth it, so I willingly comply with the rules.

A slap on the wrist seldom works to get wholesale attention.

Thanks 86TA355SR.

It is true that the vast majority of us did not abuse the use of electronic devices while on duty prior to the idiot Engineer that brought national attention upon the industry concerning the use of electronic devices, but we all pay now.  Just a fact of life.

It really is no biggie to me to turn off my cell phone and stow it out of reach in compliance with the rules, but I do miss not being able to have my camera at ready. 

Anyway, compliance is far easier than trying to get away with it, and for sure the consequences of being caught. The rules (rightly) made it where the risk of non-compliance truly isn't worth it, period.

I'm sure there are many, many other railroaders that comply for precisely the same reasons.

@laming

Yes but in your case there is direct consequences, loss of livelihood.  But with driving,"so they pull my license, big whoop, I can still drive, how are they going to know".  So they pull license some jail time, fine and bingo back in drivers seat.  See, no direct consequence like loss of livelihood.  Now if they tied driving to loss of your job, bet that would make people sit up and take notice.

But hey, we can dream of a perfect world.

This makes a heck of a lot of sense to me. I forgot all about texting and it jives with my original impression that the car was not trying to beat the train.

One time I was coming back from Ohio with a friend of mine, her niece, and her brother. Her brother was driving. We were on the Pennsy Turnpike doing almost 80 and he takes out his phone, holds it above the steering wheel so he can see the road and starts texting. I couldn't believe it! When no one said anything after a few minutes I felt I had to say something and politely asked him to stop which he did. Man, he could have taken all of us out and his niece was only 19 or 20 years old. Her brother was in his 40s.

I never text or read texts while driving. It's just not worth it.

And to add on:

Tie in that driving while texting and in accident, you insurance is null and void so YOU get to foot all the bills and bankruptcy and loss of job.  Now that would hurt.

Just like I would like to see insurance annulled for motorcyclists who don't wear helmets and in accident.  So you get the bills and all the consequences.

Have to start hurting people were it hurts: the wallet.  Only way to get common sense into idiots.