Automobile collision in West Kingston RI on NEC (4/18)

There was a automobile collision with 1 fatality (the automobile driver) on the NEC in West Kingston RI. According to trainorders, the train was Regional #65. There are no grade crossings on the NEC in Rhode Island, so this is an odd incident. How the heck did the driver get on the tracks? Amtrak may have to put up more fencing along parts of the NEC.

Providence Journal: Motorist killed by train after driving onto Amtrak tracks in West Kingston. Details are limited at this point.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. Police say a motorist died Saturday night when a vehicle drove onto southbound railroad tracks in West Kingston and was struck by a Amtrak passenger train.

The sole occupant of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. Police were withholding the persons identity until notifying next of kin.

The accident happened about 11:21 p.m. in the area of Waites Corner Road. Officers responded and saw the Amtrak train stopped on the southbound track just north of the Kingston Train Station.

The accident is being investigated by the South Kingstown Police, Rhode Island State Police, Amtrak Police and the Rhode Island Medical Examiners Office.

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Another Suicide by Train?

Or another Darwin Awards wanabee?

There isn't a grade crossing, but the tracks are at road level. Google Maps shows a fence at the end of one section of Waites Corner, and then the road "continues" on the other side of the tracks.

It's possible the driver's GPS didn't realize the road is interrupted by the train tracks.

The road dead ends on both sides of the tracks, but with a little determination a driver of a high clearance vehicle could make it onto the tracks.

Grandpa D said:

The road dead ends on both sides of the tracks, but with a little determination a driver of a high clearance vehicle could make it onto the tracks.

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Yeah, it doesn't say what type of vehicle they were driving, but an SUV, likely going 55-60 mph on a country road, could probably drive through that fence without slowing much. That's assuming the fence was even shut.

I'm surprised the driver didn't see it, but then again, I've read countless stories of people who drove through/around barriers because they were so locked into what their GPS was telling them (or they were distracted by their phone).

This is a lot of assumption, though. It will be interesting to see if the police can determine what happened.

Regional 65 departed NYP one hour and 11 mins late this morning.

jis said:

Regional 65 departed NYP one hour and 11 mins late this morning.

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Seems like they ran an advance section.

The accident was not at the crossing. It occurred about 1/8 to 1/4 mile north. The car should not have been there.

Train2104 said:

jis said:

Regional 65 departed NYP one hour and 11 mins late this morning.

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Seems like they ran an advance section.

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It indeed was an "on time" segment that was ran independent of the original train 65 from BOS.

Yep, that's what happened. I'm on that section en route back up to DC for the NARP conference. No 2-1 BC, separate cafe, and it's a bit under-stocked...but the train is running and the crew (who I believe were grabbed in the middle of the night considering the timing) are in good spirits and quite generous about it.

Waites Corner Road used to be a thru road, but when they closed all the grade crossings it became 2 dead end roads on either side of the tracks. It is about 1/2 mile north of KIN, and there is no other trails nearby. A few years ago, there was a pedestrian fatality there, but there is no way for a vehicle to get there. (First responders had to walk to it.) I do not understand how a vehicle got there. :huh:

Anderson said:

Yep, that's what happened. I'm on that section en route back up to DC for the NARP conference. No 2-1 BC, separate cafe, and it's a bit under-stocked...but the train is running and the crew (who I believe were grabbed in the middle of the night considering the timing) are in good spirits and quite generous about it.

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Not that it's important, but for what it's worth, 65 left Boston with a full business class car, and full cafe last night.

Neighbor said:

The accident was not at the crossing. It occurred about 1/8 to 1/4 mile north. The car should not have been there.

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Nobody claimed it did. Read our prior posts.

Bad news folks. I heard that it was an ACS-64 and Viewliner baggage car that were both damaged in the incident.

Anderson said:

Yep, that's what happened. I'm on that section en route back up to DC for the NARP conference. No 2-1 BC, separate cafe, and it's a bit under-stocked...but the train is running and the crew (who I believe were grabbed in the middle of the night considering the timing) are in good spirits and quite generous about it.

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When I was to take the 66 that was delayed by the Odenton derailment I went to NYP on time thinking they'd run an on time section north. They didn't, so I ended up spending the night in NYP...

Me said:

Bad news folks. I heard that it was an ACS-64 and Viewliner baggage car that were both damaged in the incident.

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Dang. We just can't have nuthin' nice.......

Actually, I heard that it was done as a protest to the new diner changes being rolled out for the Florida trains.

I am glad the OP titled this post collision. When the mainstream media reports events like this it is usually "car hit by train" as if a train can stop like a motor vehicle. They also seldom report that the train has the right of way.. In this case I theorize that the driver was either drunk, on drugs, very distracted, senile, mentally impaired or suicidal. What else could it be?

Is there any indication somewhere that the vehicle entered the track area from the part of Waites Corner Rd that is southeast of the tracks?

I ask because there is (possibly) an opening without a gate on the northwest side - look at this shot on the northwest side: https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1429569401243!6m8!1m7!1sgCMTgNN-fSvG2rDFtHI6hg!2m2!1d41.488067!2d-71.554708!3f87.10448256315237!4f-6.057093885421949!5f1.8731607263914252

I was on this train, third car from engine. When the train was stopped my car was at the crossing, the accident scene was north of that. The entire thing was a nightmare. Traveling with 3 young children to South Carolina and had only been on the train a little more than an hour.

There are news updates identifying the driver who was killed in the collision. Providence Journal: South Kingstown police identify woman, 21, killed by train Saturday. She was a resident of Kingston and possibly a student at University of Rhode Island.

The reports don't say how or why she may have driven onto the tracks, but the WPRI report Police ID South Kingstown woman killed by train has a on-scene photo of an opened gate on the NW side. That gate is open in the Google Earth street view images, so the track maintenance crews may leave it open for easier access for themselves. The gate is off at an angle north of the end of the road, so someone would have to be really confused or lost to think going through the gate is part of the road route. Just bizarre unless she drove onto the tracks intentionally.

This is at least the second fatal automobile/SUV collision in the sealed section of the NEC in RI and MA in the past year. Remember the 3 who were killed in the Land Rover last summer in the high speed collision with a Regional when they somehow drove onto the tracks in MA. If the Amtrak crews are leaving access gates open or have service access roads without gates to block them off, Amtrak should look at keeping the gates closed or installing gates where needed.