# Freight Train Smashes into Van, 2 Dead



## DET63 (Mar 24, 2011)

> (NewsCore) - Two people were killed and two others injured when a freight train hit a van at a crossing in Kelso, Washington state on Wednesday afternoon, The Daily News reported.


Link

The Daily News is the newspaper for Longview, Wash., which is adjacent to Kelso.


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## rrdude (Mar 24, 2011)

DET63 said:


> > (NewsCore) - Two people were killed and two others injured when a freight train hit a van at a crossing in Kelso, Washington state on Wednesday afternoon, The Daily News reported.
> 
> 
> Link
> ...


That sux, given it was an unguarded X-ing, they still should have "looked both ways", obviously I wasn't there, and guess we'll never know the truth, unless hopefully the last occupant of the vehicle survives.....

The T&E crew must feel awful, given the deceased were "one of their own".


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## the_traveler (Mar 24, 2011)

I'm sure that freight train chased down that van. The van certainly could not have smashed in a freight train!

And railroad employees?




They should have known better than "the average Joe"!


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## DET63 (Mar 24, 2011)

I've heard elsewhere that three were killed. It's possible that one died on the way to the hospital or at least after the above report was posted. Like the_traveler, I'm surprised that railroad employees were the ones killed.


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## DET63 (Mar 24, 2011)

Authorities identify men killed in train collision



> Authorities identified Thursday morning Steven Dean Sebastian, 60, of Castle Rock as the driver of a shuttle vehicle involved in a Wednesday collision with a train in South Kelso that resulted in three fatalities.


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## DET63 (Mar 25, 2011)

YouTube video of the accident scene


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## rrdude (Mar 25, 2011)

DET63 said:


> Authorities identify men killed in train collision
> 
> 
> 
> > Authorities identified Thursday morning Steven Dean Sebastian, 60, of Castle Rock as the *driver of a shuttle vehicle* involved in a Wednesday collision with a train in South Kelso that resulted in three fatalities.


Pure speculation, but it may be possible that BNSF contracted out the shuttle, and the driver, and that the driver was _not_ a RR employee.

Just "speculating" mind you. Kind of looks like the crossing was "protected" by X-bucks too, not a "private crossing" as the news reported. Just "speculating" gang..........


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## PRR 60 (Mar 25, 2011)

It was a contract van hired by the BNSF to transport a crew to Vancouver. The driver was employed by the van company. He, along with the two BNSF crewmen were killed. A third BNSF person was critical.

Apparently this in an unprotected, private BNSF two-track crossing (it had cross-bucks, but it is a BNSF drive, not a public road). It seems like there was a string of cars parked on one track right up to the crossing that blocked the view of the second track in the direction the train was approaching. With 20-20 hindsight, one of the people in the van should have gotten out and visually checked the second track prior to the van crossing. It's easy to say that now. Who knows how many times this same van and driver made the same trip without incident.

This is such a tragedy for all involved, not the least of whom is the engineer of the train who, in all likelihood, knew the BNFS crew victims.


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## grace (Mar 26, 2011)

alot of ignorant people are blaming this accident on the driver. It is not in no way whatsoever the drivers fault! I've been across that crossing in kelso many times. It is very unsafe for drivers. There are 2 high speed tracks with trains traveling up to 60mph, with no crossing arms or warning lights. There was a parked train within 20ft of that crossing that day of the accident. Having experienced that problem before, there is no way to see past a train that close to the crossing! BNSF violated their own safety policy! Parked trains are suppose to be 250ft from the crossings. This is a tragic accident that couldve easily been prevented if BNSF wouldve taken the proper safety precautions.


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## George Harris (Mar 26, 2011)

Well, Mr/Mrs/Ms Guest_Grace: What comes into play here is one thing my father told me when I was learning to drive: "It does you no good to be dead right." The occasion was a point where I was about to go because I had the right of way and the other person did not but went anyway.

I agree that the standing cars should have be a goodly distance from the crossing, however, self preservation should have made someone get out and look before drivinig across the tracks. As to the specific number, 20 feet: Who measured it? If this is investigated at all like it should be, it will be measured and the position of all vehicles determined and shown on a plan sheet as part of the report, along with quite a few other things.


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## Green Maned Lion (Mar 31, 2011)

Until the NTSA report is released on this one, we really won't have much to go on.


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 31, 2011)

Another Tragic Reminder that if Railroad Employees dont use Common Sense when crossing Tracks why should we be surprised when "civilians " are involved in numerous and way too many tragic episodes of crossing tracks where trains are operating without using Safe methods! :excl: :excl: :excl:


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## rrdude (Mar 31, 2011)

jimhudson said:


> Another Tragic Reminder that if Railroad Employees dont use Common Sense when crossing Tracks why should we be surprised when "civilians " are involved in numerous and way too many tragic episodes of crossing tracks where trains are operating without using Safe methods! :excl: :excl: :excl:


Although the van drive was not technically a "RR employee", his passengers coulda/shoulda said something to him........Hindsight, Hindsight, Hindsight.

This crash just sux from every angle. If indeed the NTSB finds the BNSF "parked" some cars too close to a X, then that just adds to the suckiness of this accident.


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## Ryan (Mar 31, 2011)

PRR 60 said:


> Apparently this in an unprotected, private BNSF two-track crossing (it had cross-bucks, but it is a BNSF drive, not a public road).





grace said:


> I've been across that crossing in kelso many times. It is very unsafe for drivers.


Unless our hysterical guest works for BNSF (or the company contracted to run the vans), something doesn't add up here.


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## DET63 (Apr 4, 2011)

IIRC, the crossing provided access to the Cowlitz River's confluence with the Columbia, though I thought that BN fenced and gated off the crossing years ago so that only authorized personnel could actually get in.


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