Tractor Trailer collides with AMTRAK in Nevada

Discussion in 'Truckers News' started by Giorgio, Jun 25, 2011.

  1. Sad_Panda

    Sad_Panda Road Train Member

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    Has the NTSB stated that? They hadn't in any story I read, then again, half the stories have been complete gibberish that they have read like spreglord rants, not real reports.
     
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  3. Sad_Panda

    Sad_Panda Road Train Member

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    Uh.....

    *grabs popcorn* This just keeps on getting weirder and weirder,
     
  4. Yodler

    Yodler Light Load Member

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    If that is so, the truck was North-Bound, then he should have seen the oncoming train. :biggrin_25516:
     
  5. sedain

    sedain Medium Load Member

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    you have a train going 78 mph and a trk going at a similar speed headed towards the same intersection where visibility is an extreme issue (intersects at 45 degree angle).

    the driver that was cited in the september incident stated the cause as "'Sun in his eyes"..

    four or five near misses a year that the 1 conductor has seen,so that intersection is obviously a hazard,which is what i was trying to say...

    #### happens,but for the life of me i dont get why automatically even fellow drivers will ASSUME that the "trucker" is at fault. the guy didnt have a great driving record (like yours must be) and the report might show that he was speeding(you never speed,obviously),they will be able to ascertain this by calculating how long it takes an mt 13 axle trk to stop from 75 mph to zero,plus by calculating the impact dmg etc... we dont know if he was speeding or not,but with his driving record it is likely.

    he prly didnt even see the train until a half second before the collision,he was slowing down because of the railroad crossing lights that were flashing + the gate went down,but the response time to that might of been slow due to the sun "being in his eyes".
     
  6. Emulsified

    Emulsified Road Train Member

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    If the sun rises in the west, it could have been in his eyes.
    I know that crossing fairly well. The visability is very good (unless there's a dust storm).
    If you watch that intersection, you'll see trucks speeding and trying to beat the trains all the time.
    Most trains thru there are freight and travel slower. Usually around 60. Amtrak travels up to 80.
    I wasn't there, but I'll bet he was trying to beat the train, realized too late it was traveling faster than he originally thought, then couldn't stop in time.
    Truth is...we'll probably never know.
     
    lostNfound Thanks this.
  7. lostNfound

    lostNfound Road Train Member

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    The sun was not in his eyes. Period.

    The near miss in September of last year occurred at 7:00 A.M. In that incident the truck was southbound and the train was westbound, which meant that the train was approaching at a 45* angle from behind, to the driver's left. Supposedly the driver could not see the train because of the morning sun (which he would have been looking into if he were looking eastward), nor could he apparently see the warning lights until he was much closer to the crossing. However, he managed to neither hit the train nor kill anybody.

    This accident occured at mid-day (11:25 A.M.). The sun would have been almost directly overhead and behind the driver as he was northbound. If anything, the sun should have illuminated the train very nicely as the driver would have seen it out of the passenger side of his front windshield.

    I fully expect the final report to show that the driver was speeding. In fact, I have no doubt he was trying to beat the train and realized too late he was not going to. However, regardless of all of that and regardless of whether you, or I, or anybody else exceeds any posted speed limit, the vast majority of us manage to do it without killing ourselves and five other innocent souls.
     
    Rollover the Original Thanks this.
  8. JimDucan

    JimDucan Medium Load Member

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    So at about 45 degrees from the truck moving west. A Pete daycab has how large of westcoast mirrors? Big enough that if you are low and back with the sun shining behind you.

    There is an idea.

    Still, Amtrak is doing such a horrible job of record keeping at this point. Failing to report the near misses, and not knowing who was on the train, for this long....

    And failing to report near misses there! The driver, who could have been a complete clown, still had a valid CDL, valid medical, and was completely, I can't believe I am going to say this, legal in being on the road. Amtrak on the other hand.

    And it's been proven these trucks are governed below the speed limit. No ifs, no buts. So if the speed limit is 70mph, how can you be speeding in a governed truck.
     
  9. lostNfound

    lostNfound Road Train Member

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    Where is that information?
     
  10. JimDucan

    JimDucan Medium Load Member

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    Also the speed of the skids (from silly online tools) Would be 90 miles per hour, which is 130 feet per second, which means he had to have been skidding for how long?

    So almost 30mph over the trucks governed speed.
     
  11. Rollover the Original

    Rollover the Original Road Train Member

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    That "information" was posted by another driver earlier
    who is familiar with the company. It would be better if it came form the company or an actual driver of the company.
     
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