There we were just talking when train horn sounded

[oldcarnut]

Had a greet and meet at the Dukes BBQ in Ridgeville SC today to kick off our weekend car show.  We all went outside for a short to look at some cars and take a picture. The railroad tracks run parallel to the place right across the street.  A train was coming and sounding it's horn and the warning lights were on.  As I watched across the road about 60ft away a tractor trailer was still going to cross  .  He managed to get most of the cab across then the train cut his rig in half.  It flung the cab into the air splitting the empty trailer flying to the opposite side and the cab to our direction.  People around us were getting hit with debris and running away for fear that truck was going to hit us   .  Luckily it got planted against some kind of control box in the ground landing on it's side.  Diesel fuel was spilling all over the place and some cars parked on the edge were damaged (no Mopar Cars for the show).  How the driver got out I didn't see but he had about a 6" gash across his head.  Took the train about 1/2 mile to stop.   When I get some pics or figure how to get them out of the wife's phone I'll post them.   Only the truck driver was seriously hurt.  Don't know about the front of the train.  Could have been so much worse.  My RR and some others were parked along side the tracks on the road shoulder just a little ways further down.  If the rig hadn't separated and got dragged, several cars could have been lost. What a close one for the day.

[charger_cody]

HOW EXHILERATING!!!!!

Im sure glad the guy was A.O.K. though.

Cody

Pics for sure!! 

[Todd Wilson]

That stuff happens everyday on the railroad. Be thankful it wasnt a propane truck!


Todd

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

That stuff happens everyday on the railroad. Be thankful it wasnt a propane truck!


Todd

How the F does it happen every day?  Are people really that stupid?  WTF are some people thinking?
Prolly yapping on a cell phone

[BB1]

Probably more like 100 times a day, we destroyed car, trucks, humans, animals all the time.
Just part of the job.

[bull]

How the F does it happen every day?  Are people really that stupid?  WTF are some people thinking?
Prolly yapping on a cell phone

Are you kidding Chris? I took a drive down I-84 into downtown Portland today and based on what I saw during that eventless trip made me wonder how the human race has survived this long. I swear, 80% of the people who get behind the wheel are there to do just about everything they can do in a car but pay attention and drive.

[moparguy01]

That stuff happens everyday on the railroad. Be thankful it wasnt a propane truck!


Todd

How the F does it happen every day?  Are people really that stupid?  WTF are some people thinking?
Prolly yapping on a cell phone

You don't go out and drive much do you? I've seen things that would make even some of the dumbest people I know think "What in the hell were they thinking?"

When i see a car driving down the highway with a guy sipping from his coffee cup and reading a BOOK and in the process attempting to use at least 1 and a half lanes of the highway, I just tend to lose alot of faith in mankind.....

[Landonsrt]

This thread is worthless without pics!! j/k

[Todd Wilson]

That stuff happens everyday on the railroad. Be thankful it wasnt a propane truck!


Todd

How the F does it happen every day?  Are people really that stupid?  WTF are some people thinking?
Prolly yapping on a cell phone

I am working on 15 years with the railroad and I personally have been in 4 crossing accidents. Havent killed anyone YET. I work a switch engine in my town. I move about town going to all our industrys. Everyday I see at least 1 person run the gates in front of us. Its usually 5+ times everyday day. I work 5 days a week. I'll let you do the math just for me! Not to mention all the other trains out there on all the railroads. I saw a bull hauler one time sit at the crossing at our yard. Blowing his horn and revving his engine. Letting the clutch out torking everything up. We were right on the crossing and he took off. Broke thru the crossing arms and just barely made it across before we clipped him. I have seen numerous times where my little switch engine is sitting on a side track by a crossing. We are waiting for a main line train to go by us before we can come out on the main line track and go somewhere. People stop at the crossing as the lights are on and gates down. They think it is us causing the gates and arms to be working. WHat they dont see is the mainline train coming down the track and a high rate of speed. They drive around the gates and suddenly see a surprise. One situation like that a guy in a 4 door pickup truck with his kids in the truck does that and then stops half way thru the gate and starts running his mouth to me about the gates being down as I was on the ground by the engine. I yell at his to get the F off the tracks before he gets killed. He still is runing his mouth when he finally sees a main line train coming down the track at 50+ mph. He guns it and just makes it thru. He was 1-2 feet away from getting himself and kids killed.

ABout a year ago one of our main line trains down in Oklahoma t boned a fullly loaded Propane tank truck. Killed the train crew and the truck driver. We saw pictures of the aftermath. The camera in the engine shows them hitting the truck, a liquid mist come across the windshield and then BOOM. The crews bodys were right at the crossing as it blew them out the side of the cab. The train rolled another 1/2 mile or so before it stopped. There was a giant area of nothing but black on the ground. Pieces of the truck and trailer were found all over.

Several of my co workers have been in suicides where people step out in front of a train coming down the tracks. Its not a pretty site. As one of the crew members has to go back and see what happened and then lots of people spend many many hours pickup up the pieces and putting them in trashbags.


Todd

[Todd Wilson]

This thread is worthless without pics!! j/k

Heres a Chevy truck I wadded up many years ago. I was riding on the side of the car when this happened!

[oldcarnut]

This thread is worthless without pics!! j/k

I just got back from work and haven't got pics yet.  I know it's not much but here's a link to a news story on it with some small pics.  I took some pics on a club members camera and when I get those I'll post them  http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=11288505
Earlier this week coming home from work I was in the middle lane behind this car that was in the left lane.  It kept drifting over the line, speeding up then slowing down and applying brakes for no reason. AS I went to pass it and get away,  I looked over to see what was their problem.  The young girl inside had her left arm holding a cell phone to her right ear while her right hand was texting somebody on yet another cell phone in her right hand.  She was steering with her left knee up on the steering wheel.   All this at 50mph.  I don't know whats worse.  Somebody behind you like this or in front?  I forgot to mention the train had cars loaded up with new  BMW cars (I think).

[Tilar]

When I get some pics or figure how to get them out of the wife's phone I'll post them.

Send them like a text or picture message. Instead of putting in a phone number, put in your email address and you will get them in your email.

[Tilar]

That stuff happens everyday on the railroad. Be thankful it wasnt a propane truck!


Todd

How the F does it happen every day?  Are people really that stupid?  WTF are some people thinking?
Prolly yapping on a cell phone

Yes it happens every day and yeah probably most are yapping or texting on their phone.

When I was driving truck I used to think that most people in 4 wheelers actually had a death wish with some of the stupid crap they pull.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

That stuff happens everyday on the railroad. Be thankful it wasnt a propane truck!


Todd

How the F does it happen every day?  Are people really that stupid?  WTF are some people thinking?
Prolly yapping on a cell phone

You don't go out and drive much do you? I've seen things that would make even some of the dumbest people I know think "What in the hell were they thinking?"

When i see a car driving down the highway with a guy sipping from his coffee cup and reading a BOOK and in the process attempting to use at least 1 and a half lanes of the highway, I just tend to lose alot of faith in mankind.....

I get out & drive plenty.....just no railroad crossings in NYC for me to see that type of stupidity

[HPP]

My wife and I saw a similar accident to this just two weekends ago in our locale. The driver in our instance was not as lucky.

[69_500]

Being a delivery driver I see all kinds of stupid things that people do on a regular basis. It amazes me that 90% of these people actually have a drivers license. It just doesn't add up, how they could do the courses, read the books, and pass the test and then get behind the wheel and totally forget everything that has to do with common sense.

[Blown70]

common sense.

Because common sense, is not so common anymore.

[69_500]

True, and there are many more things that aren't so common any more. Like common decency. Like respect. Or taking the consequences that come from ones own actions, instead of trying to always blame it on something else.

[Blown70]

True, and there are many more things that aren't so common any more. Like common decency. Like respect. Or taking the consequences that come from ones own actions, instead of trying to always blame it on something else.

AGREED!!!  So, sad to see happening too

[BB1]

:

That stuff happens everyday on the railroad. Be thankful it wasnt a propane truck!


Todd

How the F does it happen every day?  Are people really that stupid?  WTF are some people thinking?
Prolly yapping on a cell phone

I am working on 15 years with the railroad and I personally have been in 4 crossing accidents. Havent killed anyone YET. I work a switch engine in my town. I move about town going to all our industrys. Everyday I see at least 1 person run the gates in front of us. Its usually 5+ times everyday day. I work 5 days a week. I'll let you do the math just for me! Not to mention all the other trains out there on all the railroads. I saw a bull hauler one time sit at the crossing at our yard. Blowing his horn and revving his engine. Letting the clutch out torking everything up. We were right on the crossing and he took off. Broke thru the crossing arms and just barely made it across before we clipped him. I have seen numerous times where my little switch engine is sitting on a side track by a crossing. We are waiting for a main line train to go by us before we can come out on the main line track and go somewhere. People stop at the crossing as the lights are on and gates down. They think it is us causing the gates and arms to be working. WHat they dont see is the mainline train coming down the track and a high rate of speed. They drive around the gates and suddenly see a surprise. One situation like that a guy in a 4 door pickup truck with his kids in the truck does that and then stops half way thru the gate and starts running his mouth to me about the gates being down as I was on the ground by the engine. I yell at his to get the F off the tracks before he gets killed. He still is runing his mouth when he finally sees a main line train coming down the track at 50+ mph. He guns it and just makes it thru. He was 1-2 feet away from getting himself and kids killed.

ABout a year ago one of our main line trains down in Oklahoma t boned a fullly loaded Propane tank truck. Killed the train crew and the truck driver. We saw pictures of the aftermath. The camera in the engine shows them hitting the truck, a liquid mist come across the windshield and then BOOM. The crews bodys were right at the crossing as it blew them out the side of the cab. The train rolled another 1/2 mile or so before it stopped. There was a giant area of nothing but black on the ground. Pieces of the truck and trailer were found all over.

Several of my co workers have been in suicides where people step out in front of a train coming down the tracks. Its not a pretty site. As one of the crew members has to go back and see what happened and then lots of people spend many many hours pickup up the pieces and putting them in trashbags.


Todd

15 years 

I've hit a 92 Olds that a drunk walked away from. My engineer ducked under the control stand, but I watched the whole think like it was in slow motion.

We spun that sucker 2 times then it laid there like a wad of paper.
I hoped off in the dark to check it out, not much left, but the drunk was found at a gas station looking for people to help him push it off the tracks. 

Also had a teen try to commit suicides in front of my 56 mph train.
I stared him down too until he disappeared under the noses of the engine.
At the last second he stepped over the rail and out of the trains path.

I wanted to kill the mofo for being a stupid kid, and I was mad as hell for an hour until we hit a deer right about lunch time.   

[Todd Wilson]

I wanted to kill the mofo for being a stupid kid, and I was mad as hell for an hour until we hit a deer right about lunch time.   

I've hard stories of guys in in the country rolling along on a main liner  and come across a bunch of cattle that have gotten out of a field some where. Nothing like plowing into 25 head of cattle!HAHA!


Todd

[BB1]

I'm out here in Arizona where the only thing I could possible hit is a roadrunner or a cactus. 

[Todd Wilson]

I'm out here in Arizona where the only thing I could possible hit is a roadrunner or a cactus. 

The way you guys come off the rail you'll get a cactus before too long!   


Todd

[oldcarnut]

Some cell phone pics

[oldcarnut]

Where you see above the people sitting on the curb is where we were standing for the group shot.  The truck was crossing from the other side of the train and was hit on the drivers side