4 Dead, 17 Hurt When Train Hits Texas Vets Parade

[CHamilton]

4 Dead, 17 Hurt When Train Hits Texas Vets Parade

by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS November 15, 2012, 10:17 pm ET

DALLAS (AP) — A freight train slammed into a parade float carrying wounded veterans on Thursday, killing four people and injuring 17 others as the float tried to get through a West Texas railroad crossing on its way to an honorary banquet, authorities said.

The eastbound train was sounding its horn before it hit the trailer float around 4:40 p.m. in Midland, Union Pacific spokesman Tom Lange said. A preliminary investigation indicates the crossing gate and lights were working, Lange said, though he didn't know if the train crew saw the float approaching.

Two people died at the scene, while two others died at Midland Memorial Hospital, City of Midland spokesman Ryan Stout said. Seven of those injured are in critical condition, while the 10 others are in stable condition, he said.

About two dozen veterans and their spouses had been sitting in chairs on the float, set up on the back of a flatbed tractor-trailer decorated with American flags and signs identifying each veteran, photos show.

Panic swept through those seated on trailer as the locomotive's horn sounded, said Patricia Howle, who was waiting at a nearby traffic light as the train approached.

 

[Acela150]

Just saw it and went to post about it. If the gates were working properly. Then how does a tractor trailer end up on the tracks with the gates down and no one trying to run? Does that not sound funny to someone? We don't know the full story sure. But this is my couple of pennys.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Just saw it and went to post about it. If the gates were working properly. Then how does a tractor trailer end up on the tracks with the gates down and no one trying to run? Does that not sound funny to someone? We don't know the full story sure. But this is my couple of pennys.

There's a helpful eye witness account in this BBC package (with uses local footage from a CBS affiliate): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20353059

The semi driver appears to have entered the crossing before sufficient space was clear for the entire vehicle on the other side of the crossing. The flatbed was stationary across the track waiting for traffic to clear (perhaps at the adjacent traffic lights?) as the beacons started and the barriers dropped, apparently striking some of the people on the flatbed float as they came down.

If this is true, words fail me.

 

[rrdude]

Just saw it and went to post about it. If the gates were working properly. Then how does a tractor trailer end up on the tracks with the gates down and no one trying to run? Does that not sound funny to someone? We don't know the full story sure. But this is my couple of pennys.

There's a helpful eye witness account in this BBC package (with uses local footage from a CBS affiliate): http://www.bbc.co.uk...canada-20353059

The semi driver appears to have entered the crossing before sufficient space was clear for the entire vehicle on the other side of the crossing. The flatbed was stationary across the track waiting for traffic to clear (perhaps at the adjacent traffic lights?) as the beacons started and the barriers dropped, apparently striking some of the people on the flatbed float as they came down.

If this is true, words fail me.

My speculation, and it's JUST THAT, is that the blame lies partly with the parade organizers, knowing that the parade route would travel over a RR grade crossing? Did they contact RR in advance? Did they "warn" drivers of parade vehicles to treat crossing as "normal" traffic?

Driver of said flatbed also bears some blame, as we all know, parade or no parade, he should have ASSUMED it was an active crossing (which it was) and that a train might show up, (which it did) and waited for clearance to be enuff for him to pull completely over crossing. (which he did not)

One of those rare grade crossing accidents where Darwin's Law really not a factor, just a very, very, sad and unfortunate accident, that SHOULD have been avoided.

 

[DET63]

From the Huffington Post:

The parade was to end at a "Hunt for Heroes" banquet honoring the veterans. The wounded service members were then going to be treated to a deer-hunting trip this weekend. The events have been canceled.

Lange said Union Pacific is offering help to the community and victims' families, as well as peer-to-peer counseling for the train crew, who did not sustain any injuries.

It looks like the parade was over, and the vets were on their way to a banquet. Still, if they were riding on the back of a flatbed, it was probably traveling very slowly, and apparently at this point was stopped on the tracks, probably due to traffic. The driver should have stopped the truck short of the tracks until he could be sure that everything was clear on the other side before attempting to cross.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

So far as I can tell the primary blame for this probably lies with the commercial truck driver. He or she chose to stop on the tracks instead of stopping before the tracks to wait until they could cross safely without being obstructed. There may also be some additional problems with the planning of the route and perhaps the design of the intersection, but even with those complications this accident should have been entirely avoidable with a more competent truck driver at the wheel.

 

[SarahZ]

Oh my god. I have no words. Regardless of who is to blame, this is really, really sad. I feel sorry for the victims, their families, and that poor train engineer.

 

[Blackwolf]

A horrible turn of events. I completely blame the driver of the truck, as his action alone was the key to have a non-event and this. Regardless of the parade organizers contacting the Union Pacific, regardless of what anyone could plan for or make contingencies for, it all rests on the shoulders of the driver. And I'll be pretty darn certain that, when it comes time for criminal prosecution, the law will feel the exact same way. Dealing with RR crossings are very much a large portion of Commercial Driver License tests.

I would hate to be in that individual's shoes right now.

As for the rail line itself, there are no surprises. It is straight as an arrow. Not a turn, not a hill, not even a wrinkled rail for nearly the entire route through Midland And no buildings or obstructions on either side of the track with one exception: the old station that appears to have been turned into a convenience store when looking at Google Streetview. I suspect that the people on the float could see the headlight for quite a long while, maybe without even realizing what it was. And I highly suspect that the echo of the train's horn as it navigated through the other crossings further away was audible. Even without all of this, there is no excuse for the driver to have crossed the tracks before being absolutely sure the entire vehicle length was clear. MHO, of course, but that driver killed these people. Not the train.

 

[Bob Dylan]

RIP! Hopefully the Truck Driver won't be Driving anymore Trucks! :help:

Story getting lots of Play on the Cable News Shows, terrible Tragedy!

 

[the_traveler]

RIP! Hopefully the Truck Driver won't be Driving anymore Trucks! :help: ,

Agreed! And I just saw it on NBC Nightly News. One of those killed was a soldier who received 2 Purple Hearts from service in Iraq - and he gets killed at home!

 

[DET63]

Official Statement

Show of Support Military Hunt, Inc.

Official Statement

Midland, Texas, November 16, 2012 -- In response to the tragic accident at the annual Show of Support honoring wounded American military heroes the evening of November 15, 2012, event organizers issued the following statement: "We are devastated by the tragedy last evening and offer our prayers along with those of countless Americans to the families and friends of those who we honor."

 

[Nathanael]

We need to improve the standard for issuing drivers' licenses, or at least commercial drivers' licenses, in this country.

I was taught not to enter an *intersection* unless I could clear it, except under very specialized circumstances relating to left turns. Very few people seem to know this.

The rule that you do not enter *railroad tracks* unless you can clear them was hammered into my head as a basic safety rule at a very young age -- and yet we see drivers ignore this, with predictably tragic results. The whole idea of drivers' licenses is to make sure that people really, truly, understand and appreciate these rules before they take other people's lives into their hands. It's apparently not working very well.

 

[CHamilton]

Texas town begins recovery after train crash that killed vets

MIDLAND, Texas -- Two days after a train suddenly plowed into a parade float, killing four war veterans, the city of Midland, investigators and the victims' families began what likely will be a long, painful recovery.

The truck that served as the parade float had been removed from the tracks and federal investigators were working to determine what exactly happened, including whether the parade had enough warning to clear the tracks. Investigators Saturday measured distances, photographed the site and tested equipment, trilling the warning bells periodically.

Residents in the town of nearly 114,000 that has long lived alongside a vibrant railroad industry planned a weekend candlelight vigil.

One question that remains is whether the parade had the proper permit. The parade has been an annual event in Midland for nine years, but City Manager Courtney Sharp declined to say whether the group, Show of Support/Hunt for Heroes, had the necessary paperwork to hold the event.

Railroads, though, are a vital part of Midland, a town that sits in the heart of Texas' oil rich Permian basin. Three or four tracks lie within city limits, and the site of the accident is just about 10 minutes from downtown, said Midland spokesman Ryan Stout.

 

[CHamilton]

Signals Activated Before Train Hit Veterans' Floatby THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

November 17, 2012

Federal investigators say the warning signals at a railroad crossing in West Texas were activated before a parade float crossed the tracks in an accident that killed military veterans.

At a news conference Saturday, National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind said the signals had been activated seven seconds before the float crossed the tracks.

...

He said the train started sounding its horn nine seconds before it hit the float. The train engineer also used the emergency brake five seconds before the crash.

 

[CHamilton]

Railroad Adjusts Deadly Track Crossing

Union Pacific Corp. said that starting Friday it would provide an improved warning system at the Midland, Texas, railroad crossing where a train last month struck a float carrying wounded veterans at a parade held in their honor, killing four people and injuring 13.
The company said it was addressing a signaling issue that could cause delays in activating the warning system at the Midland crossing.

The railroad said the changes wouldn't necessarily lead to additional warning time on every occasion at the crossing, which was designed to notify motorists 30 seconds before a train's approach, according to Texas Department of Transportation records.

A federal probe has found that warning lights flashed and bells sounded 20 seconds before a train hit the parade float on Nov. 15. A Union Pacific spokeswoman noted that federal law requires at least 20 seconds warning.

The spokeswoman said the driver of the float entered the crossing eight seconds after the lights and bells activated.

 

[Ryan]

The spokeswoman said the driver of the float entered the crossing eight seconds after the lights and bells activated.

After?

AFTER?!?!?!

If that's true, the driver should be charged with manslaughter.

 

[Bob Dylan]

News Story today on the Local Fox Station that several Families are Suing UP for Negligence and UP has announced that the Signals @ that Intersection are being replaced so they start working Earlier than 30 Seconds before the Crossing as was the case with the Current Signals! That doesnt obsolve the Driver of his Negligence, I still dont see how UP was @ Fault but I'm not a Trial Lawyer!

 

[Trogdor]

News Story today on the Local Fox Station that several Families are Suing UP for Negligence and UP has announced that the Signals @ that Intersection are being replaced so they start working Earlier than 30 Seconds before the Crossing as was the case with the Current Signals! That doesnt obsolve the Driver of his Negligence, I still dont see how UP was @ Fault but I'm not a Trial Lawyer!

I have problems with this. The problem with the accident, based on the reports, wasn't insufficient warning. It was a driver ignoring the warning.

Starting the warning system earlier won't stop the people who are already ignoring it, and it only encourages more people to ignore it.

 

[George Harris]

Starting the warning system earlier won't stop the people who are already ignoring it, and it only encourages more people to ignore it.

EXACTLY!!!!