AMTK 350 terminating at Ann Arbor 353 car train fatal

[PlymouthStationGuy]

Was watching the news this morning a surveillance camera caught the whole wreck on on tape they said the car drove around a White SUV and the gate.

[TrainWatcher]

Yea, how sad.

[ConrailDetr​oit]

I WONDER IF A CELL PHONE [PHONES] WERE IN USE IN THE CAR AT THE TIME OF IMPACT.

I would think stupidity, cell phones distract.

[OwlCaboose2853]

Was watching the news this morning a surveillance camera caught the whole wreck on on tape they said the car drove around a White SUV and the gate.

PlymouthStationGuy, Correctly, White SUV driver have 1000.1% witness, also, company has a surveillance camera too
So, all of you find in click video then click menu then fullscreen;
Video of Car/Train Crash Released

[OwlCaboose2853]

Driver in car-train crash had suspended license

[hobojim]

Some might think my comments inappropriate but that won't be the first time.

At least the idiot driver only hurt himself and those dumb enough to ride with him.
I had a near miss when I was 14 at the old Emerson Park entrance crossing at the west end of Midland. The driver was an out of town girl cousin of my best friend. I remember looking way up at the headlight from the backseat. It was THAT close. The driver thought it was funny. I told my cousin and the rest to let me out, I would not ride with her ever again. They did. I hiked 6 miles home and never rode with her again.
A few years later five kids were killed trying to beat a train at the Nine Mile rd. crossing between Sanford and Coleman.
Some things never change, trains win, cars lose, people die.
A word to you young guys. Any time you are not driving you are putting your life in the hands of the driver. Do you trust his judgement enough to risk your life. Think hard about it. I have had good friends who were great people, but were so darn flakey or irresponsible for me to let drive, even though we were friends.

[AARR]

These things happen so fast. The first time I watched the video I missed everything except the suv and train . Had to watch it a second time so see the car going around the suv and getting hit.

[GTWFRED]

Wow! They never had a chance to "P" their pants! Sad thing is, even if they used that video for drivers training, there will still be plenty of young fools that'll die plastered to the front of a loco.

[MDH]

Driver in car-train crash had suspended license

He's been permanently suspended now...

Imagine being the driver of that white SUV and watching that happen right in front of you??? (at least they didn't have to see the end result at the next crossing down!)

[hobojim]

Driver in car-train crash had suspended license

He's been permanently suspended now...

Imagine being the driver of that white SUV and watching that happen right in front of you??? (at least they didn't have to see the end result at the next crossing down!)

if he looked down or away he might not have seen a thing, as fast as it happened.

[GTWFRED]

Imagine being the driver of that white SUV and watching that happen right in front of you??? (at least they didn't have to see the end result at the next crossing down!)

Even sadder yet, if there was a child in the SUV & the driver had the child "count cars" like my parents "back in the day", and had a first row seat to the horror! Then there's the loco crew, who undoubtly went out when they finally stopped, to verify the already obvious, and had to see the result. No wonder some engine crewmen never return again to railroading after incidents like that, can't blame 'em, everybody loses, but somehow the attorney's will find a way to try to blame the railroads. You'll never be able to stop stupidity.

[mikerm19]

I don't get it, how is one railroad crossing any more dangerous than the other? Why do the news media feel that they need to say that any crossing is different from any other? A car is a car, a train is a train, and a crossing is a crossing. Weather it's just crossbucks or it has 4 quadrant gates, every single crossing needs to be treated exactly the same. With respect. It's that simple.

[Mackinac Mac]

Anyone heard from "leo28150" wonder which train he was on that day, hoping all the best that hes doing ok even if he wasn't there.

[leo28150]

Not me, but I did end up moving the equipment that was taken to Dearborn to Pontiac later that night; the engine involved is sitting in the south pass track at Wayne Jct, I couldn't see if anything is damaged on the front of it when I went by it tonight. NS was still doing checks of the crossing equipment when I came thru on 355---must be they are still in C.Y.A. mode.

[J T]

NS was still doing checks of the crossing equipment when I came thru on 355---must be they are still in C.Y.A. mode.

Is this just the required procedure even though it's obvious the gates were down? Or are they checking the crossing equipment to see if anything was damaged during the collision?

[hoborich]

Who among us hasn't done some dumb stuff as a kid, or rode with an idiot? Just sayin. You don't always know the driver is an idiot, until the first time you ride with them.

[GTWFRED]

Who among us hasn't done some dumb stuff as a kid, or rode with an idiot? Just sayin. You don't always know the driver is an idiot, until the first time you ride with them.

Very well put, sad part is if that was the 3 riders first time, it was also their LAST! Great point hoborich!

[nssd70m-2]

This is what I heard:

"353 West Clear Wayne Jct, Out"

"OH @#$%"

"Call Police we just hit a car"

And then turned off the radio. Scary thing was I was only minutes from going to catch her at Haggerty.

wow

[R.E.A.P.E.R.]

http://www.wnem.com/video/20012848/

[conrailmike]

Amtrak has come out and said that the video from the locomotive shows gates and signals were working properly.

Story updated on WXYZ: http://www.wxyz.com/news/story/Amtrak-S ... -eW1A.cspx