2 Dead when Semi Smacks Amtrak Train in Nevada
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SantaFebuff
That's So Trainz Forum
cascaderailroad
New member
I would put money on it that he had no medical problem.
More than likely he was speeding, hot & sweaty, tired, and in a rush, or under the influence of amphetamines, or other stimulants ... and never even looked both ways ... so his recklessness killed 2 Amtrak passengers, and and 1 Amtrak Conductor.
At unmarked or ungated crossings, traffic laws require all drivers to slow to almost a controlled rolling stop, then proceed if the tracks are clear.
Instead ... he hit the train broadside, at full speed ahead ... he won't get to do that again !
He's now drivin' the "Dirt Bus" !
More than likely he was speeding, hot & sweaty, tired, and in a rush, or under the influence of amphetamines, or other stimulants ... and never even looked both ways ... so his recklessness killed 2 Amtrak passengers, and and 1 Amtrak Conductor.
At unmarked or ungated crossings, traffic laws require all drivers to slow to almost a controlled rolling stop, then proceed if the tracks are clear.
Instead ... he hit the train broadside, at full speed ahead ... he won't get to do that again !
He's now drivin' the "Dirt Bus" !
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nugget2225
Active member
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as a class a cdl holder myself, it all comes down to human error, the truck driver was probably in a hurry to get where he was going, and probably thought the train was further and moving slower than he thought, just my thoughts
as a class a cdl holder myself, it all comes down to human error, the truck driver was probably in a hurry to get where he was going, and probably thought the train was further and moving slower than he thought, just my thoughts
Amtrakid17
Route maker in the works
Alright how the heck are you guys defending this idiot? First of all you can see the train due to its reflective sides and stickers and second of all the truck hit the train? It wasnt the opposite way around. How can you defend that?
masterowner
The One and Only
Stupid People
How could you possibly not see a train, with an intense light seen from miles, and possibly even a deafening horn! Somehow this thing type of thing happens http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enkh9A5jdUI but I don't understand how.
Two possible explanations:
1. The truck driver was probably drunk and just didn't have the ability to know what was going on.
2. The truck driver was overworked and had fallen asleep at the wheel.
How could you possibly not see a train, with an intense light seen from miles, and possibly even a deafening horn! Somehow this thing type of thing happens http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enkh9A5jdUI but I don't understand how.
Two possible explanations:
1. The truck driver was probably drunk and just didn't have the ability to know what was going on.
2. The truck driver was overworked and had fallen asleep at the wheel.
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Rather than posting speculation on the cause of the accident, let's just wait of the NTSB does the work of finding the cause or an authoritative listing of the facts.
None of us were there at the time of the of the incident to observe conditions or other potential causes.
The truck driver is dead, conductor is dead, passengers dead and injured.
We should offer a prayer or two for all the victims.
Regards,
None of us were there at the time of the of the incident to observe conditions or other potential causes.
The truck driver is dead, conductor is dead, passengers dead and injured.
We should offer a prayer or two for all the victims.
Regards,
Hi Everybody.
As someone who does accident investigation in the British road transport industry, there is always one thing you always put at the forefront of any investigation that is " there is no such thing as an accident, someone is always responsible"
That someone can be the driver of the vehicle who was not concentrating or has gained bad driving habits through a " it will never happen to me" attitude. The incident can be caused by something as minor as a Wasp (hornet) flying into the cab, the driver who fears getting stung, is distracted bringing about all the consequences.
That someone can be the person that sets the schedule for the journey and driver trying to show how he/she can improve " productivity" through there scheduling skills.
That someone can be a depot manager who does not give the vehicle enough down time when it is on service therefore faults do not get fixed and minor faults develop into major ones with all the consequences that can produce.
Much of the comments posted in this thread are pure speculation. it is obvious that something quite dramatic happened for the truck driver not to stop at the crossing. He was either unaware of the train, unable to stop or tried to outrun it to the crossing.
It is best if no further blame or comment is made above the foregoing. The accident investigation will doubtless appropriate the direct cause of the collision probably fairly quickly and then further down the line the route cause of the accident where the investigators may turn up who indirectly was responsible either through maintenance, scheduling, training or third-party involvement.
Everyone should await those reports. It does not help the loved ones of the dead and injured to read speculation and unfounded accusations from those who are not in access to the full facts.
Bill
These things are just going to happen. It's a pity the world is this way, but it just is.
Sadly,
Bernie
As someone who does accident investigation in the British road transport industry, there is always one thing you always put at the forefront of any investigation that is " there is no such thing as an accident, someone is always responsible"
That someone can be the driver of the vehicle who was not concentrating or has gained bad driving habits through a " it will never happen to me" attitude. The incident can be caused by something as minor as a Wasp (hornet) flying into the cab, the driver who fears getting stung, is distracted bringing about all the consequences.
That someone can be the person that sets the schedule for the journey and driver trying to show how he/she can improve " productivity" through there scheduling skills.
That someone can be a depot manager who does not give the vehicle enough down time when it is on service therefore faults do not get fixed and minor faults develop into major ones with all the consequences that can produce.
Much of the comments posted in this thread are pure speculation. it is obvious that something quite dramatic happened for the truck driver not to stop at the crossing. He was either unaware of the train, unable to stop or tried to outrun it to the crossing.
It is best if no further blame or comment is made above the foregoing. The accident investigation will doubtless appropriate the direct cause of the collision probably fairly quickly and then further down the line the route cause of the accident where the investigators may turn up who indirectly was responsible either through maintenance, scheduling, training or third-party involvement.
Everyone should await those reports. It does not help the loved ones of the dead and injured to read speculation and unfounded accusations from those who are not in access to the full facts.
Bill
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Yes you are quite right there aardvark. I think we were both posting at the same time approximately and then wife interrupted me when she brought me in a drink ( great girl). I would not have posted had I been aware of yours at the time I was dictating, apologies.
However, great minds think alike.
Bill
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You're right he won't do that again, but you're in no position to know unless you know him personally of course what the situation was.
You seem rather absolute in your definitive judgment of what happened. By the above language I can can get an idea what you think about truck drivers and just have to speculate like you, did a truck driver beat you up at one time in your life and is that why you seem to hate them so much?
Because as much as we like Trainz they can't deliver goods to anything but depots, they can't take a product from say New Orleans to North Dakota without making a lot of transfers along the way and a truck can take it straight to the customer that's why we have trucks.
To make such disparaging judgment against someone that you obviously don't know and have no idea what happened or was happening at the time of the accident this leads me to believe that for some reason you don't like trucks or truck drivers. You just haven't figured out where you'd be if there were no trucks or truck drivers.
cascaderailroad
New member
No ... But it is a fact that most truck drivers (and Americans for that matter) are speeding, hot & sweaty, tired, and in a rush, or under the influence of amphetamines, or other stimulants ... and they never even look both ways ... so with their recklessness at unmarked or ungated crossings, they purposely disregaurd all traffic laws, that requires all drivers to slow to almost a controlled rolling stop, then proceed if the tracks are clear... driving like complete absolute idiots, driving headlong, out of control, ready to hit the train broadside, at full speed ahead.
Some truck drivers (especially independant) are not even greencard carrying US citizens, speak little english, have multiple moving violations, multiple traffic accidents, and DUI's ... and they are still on the road !
Some truck drivers (especially independant) are not even greencard carrying US citizens, speak little english, have multiple moving violations, multiple traffic accidents, and DUI's ... and they are still on the road !
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Most? Fact? I had no idea that you were the keeper of such great knowledge.
And here you are gracing us with your presence in a mere forum…
I actually believe that you're voicing an opinion based not on fact but on conjecture. And while that's completely permissible in today's society it by no means makes it a valid opinion.
I believe instead of conjecture we should wait and see what the investigation uncovers. But you wish to rush to judgment and voice an opinion based on conjecture without ever considering whether or not a member of his family or friends might read your conjecture that isn't based in fact.
So all I can say is this, I hope if the situation ever arises where you find yourself involved in such tragedy and someone else who has no idea about who you are or what you do doesn't feel the need to rush to judgment and write such conjecture regarding any possible personal habits that you might have.
In other words, I could quote the Bible but I prefer the other idiom, those who live in glass houses shouldn't be throwing stones.
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Hi Everybody.
cascaderailroad I always have respect for your postings and the conviction that you put in to the statements you make. However, I would ask you to consider on this occasion that even if the driver was “hot & sweaty, tired, and in a rush, or under the influence of amphetamines, or other stimulants” why would he be working in that condition and under the influence of drugs etc.
If it was an owner driver it may well have been that he owes a lot of money on his vehicle, He is getting very low rates for the work he is tendering for and therefore is being forced to work very long hours just to save himself from insolvency.
If he was employed by a haulage company then it may well be that someone has set the schedules far too high for him to be able to abide by all the regulations that surround professional drivers and commercial vehicles and was afraid of losing his job if he did not complete on time all he was given to do.
As stated by ardvark and in my previous posting it may well have been none of the above, but a third party involvement so far unknown to anyone who caused the appalling accident yet to be detected or come forward.
It will be the work of the investigators to seek out the cause of the accident through solid background work. If it was an owner driver they will be looking at the maintenance on the vehicle, the hours he has worked preceding the accident and over a long period prior. They will be looking at the state of his accounts to determining the pressure he may well have been under from that sector.
With an employee driver again they will be looking at the hours worked through his tachograph records, the scheduling he was working to, vehicle maintenance and in both cases his personal background with regard to home life etc.
In Britain this would be divided into two investigations, the direct cause investigation and the route or root cause investigation to determine the immediate reason for the accident (example driver tried to out run the train to the crossing) with the route cause investigation looking far more into the depth and background of the whole incident.
Therefore if as you say the driver was “, hot & sweaty, tired, and in a rush, or under the influence of amphetamines, or other stimulants” it will determine the reasons why he was in that condition and frame of mind. I would ask you cascaderailroad with all respect to wait for a full investigation results before making such assumptions for the sake of all involved in the incident being they loved ones, deceased and injured
Bill
cascaderailroad I always have respect for your postings and the conviction that you put in to the statements you make. However, I would ask you to consider on this occasion that even if the driver was “hot & sweaty, tired, and in a rush, or under the influence of amphetamines, or other stimulants” why would he be working in that condition and under the influence of drugs etc.
If it was an owner driver it may well have been that he owes a lot of money on his vehicle, He is getting very low rates for the work he is tendering for and therefore is being forced to work very long hours just to save himself from insolvency.
If he was employed by a haulage company then it may well be that someone has set the schedules far too high for him to be able to abide by all the regulations that surround professional drivers and commercial vehicles and was afraid of losing his job if he did not complete on time all he was given to do.
As stated by ardvark and in my previous posting it may well have been none of the above, but a third party involvement so far unknown to anyone who caused the appalling accident yet to be detected or come forward.
It will be the work of the investigators to seek out the cause of the accident through solid background work. If it was an owner driver they will be looking at the maintenance on the vehicle, the hours he has worked preceding the accident and over a long period prior. They will be looking at the state of his accounts to determining the pressure he may well have been under from that sector.
With an employee driver again they will be looking at the hours worked through his tachograph records, the scheduling he was working to, vehicle maintenance and in both cases his personal background with regard to home life etc.
In Britain this would be divided into two investigations, the direct cause investigation and the route or root cause investigation to determine the immediate reason for the accident (example driver tried to out run the train to the crossing) with the route cause investigation looking far more into the depth and background of the whole incident.
Therefore if as you say the driver was “, hot & sweaty, tired, and in a rush, or under the influence of amphetamines, or other stimulants” it will determine the reasons why he was in that condition and frame of mind. I would ask you cascaderailroad with all respect to wait for a full investigation results before making such assumptions for the sake of all involved in the incident being they loved ones, deceased and injured
Bill
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Care to revise your speculation since information from the investigation now shows the driver tried to brake?
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9O35OQ80&show_article=1
Just wondering…
SantaFebuff
That's So Trainz Forum
I did talk to my dad today. He is in fact a professional driver. It is very hard to slow a rig going too fast. It is VERY easy to get distracted...
Perhaps we aren't looking at any failure... but maybe an accident. There are over a million things to look at and check in the truck, it only takes one to get his attention long enough for that crossing to sneak on him. Right when he has his "Oh sh**!" moment is when the brakes lock up. It's all downhill from there.
My dad also said it's extremely hard to burst the fuel tanks unless struck on the side. I believe the truck was hit (being the angled crossing) and shoved on an angle at high speed in which the fuel tanks ignited.
If that's so, he's just a victim. If he was racing, he's a murderer. Only the NTSB can tell us now...
Cheers,
Joshua
Perhaps we aren't looking at any failure... but maybe an accident. There are over a million things to look at and check in the truck, it only takes one to get his attention long enough for that crossing to sneak on him. Right when he has his "Oh sh**!" moment is when the brakes lock up. It's all downhill from there.
My dad also said it's extremely hard to burst the fuel tanks unless struck on the side. I believe the truck was hit (being the angled crossing) and shoved on an angle at high speed in which the fuel tanks ignited.
If that's so, he's just a victim. If he was racing, he's a murderer. Only the NTSB can tell us now...
Cheers,
Joshua
Well according to authorities at the scene he was attempting to brake, so it is rather inconclusive at this early stage.
cascaderailroad
New member
So now it shows that he was failing/or couldn't obey a State traffic STOP signal, at a gated/flashing RR crossing ... and/or was driving too fast to stop ... unless the truck had faulty brakes.
The driver had an unobstructed view of the approaching train, as the tracks were on an obtuse angle to his FOV ... It wasn't like the train snuck up on him from behind. Google Earth shows that there was in excess of 1/8 mile of straight road as you round a huge sweeping curve, with pavement RR markings 750 feet from the crossing. I am presuming that the accident happened in broad daylight and in clear weather.
The driver had an unobstructed view of the approaching train, as the tracks were on an obtuse angle to his FOV ... It wasn't like the train snuck up on him from behind. Google Earth shows that there was in excess of 1/8 mile of straight road as you round a huge sweeping curve, with pavement RR markings 750 feet from the crossing. I am presuming that the accident happened in broad daylight and in clear weather.
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