Truck on tracks gets hit by 3 in Syracuse, KS.

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TylerP42

TylerP42

Conductor
Joined
May 22, 2015
Messages
1,223
Location
Detroit, Michigan
No actual news report, but we hit a semi. Apparently it was on the tracks. I almost got launched into a door and luckily caught myself. Apparently everyone is alright, awaiting maintenence crews to check the tracks infront of us.
 
Have you started moving yet?
 
Photos show it was a driver from a very small trucking company, generally I find they will hire most any driver since the "good" drivers go with the established reputable companies. The driver will get a slap on the wrist for a preventable accident. The crossing didn't look like a highway, rather a trucking company road across the tracks to a highway.
 
This from the Syracuse Journal:

"The 2007 white Volvo semi-trailer, driven by Kevin Nagel, 47, with passenger Colton Nagel, 11, his son, both from Lamar, Colo., was stopped at the tracks coming out of a private drive. The driver was looking east into the sun and did not see the train approaching. The driver eased the semi-trailer across the intersection and was struck by the lead engine, damaging the front end of the semi-trailer and knocking into the ditch. The semi-trailer and trailer remained upright partially in the ditch and on the private drive.

The conductor was Jennifer Montanez, 45, of Lamar. The driver and passenger of the semi-trailer were transported to the Hamilton County Hospital and released with only minor injuries."
 
TylerP42 said:
"The 2007 white Volvo semi-trailer, driven by Kevin Nagel, 47, with passenger Colton Nagel, 11, his son, both from Lamar, Colo., was stopped at the tracks coming out of a private drive. The driver was looking east into the sun and did not see the train approaching. The driver eased the semi-trailer across the intersection and was struck by the lead engine, damaging the front end of the semi-trailer and knocking into the ditch. The semi-trailer and trailer remained upright partially in the ditch and on the private drive. The conductor was Jennifer Montanez, 45, of Lamar. The driver and passenger of the semi-trailer were transported to the Hamilton County Hospital and released with only minor injuries."
Click to expand...
I hate it when the sun prevents my ears from hearing the horn.
 
Yep, this is like the old Brooklyn Dodgers player ( ask your Grandfather kids) who explained away muffing a ground ball in the 1952 World Series by saying: "The Sun got in my eyes!"
 
Keep in mind Tyler that we kill more in this country annually in Vehicle Accidents and Gun Deaths than died in the Vietnam War!

Doesn't say much for our Drivers or our Gun owners does it?!!!.
 
Devil's Advocate said:
TylerP42 said:
"The 2007 white Volvo semi-trailer, driven by Kevin Nagel, 47, with passenger Colton Nagel, 11, his son, both from Lamar, Colo., was stopped at the tracks coming out of a private drive. The driver was looking east into the sun and did not see the train approaching. The driver eased the semi-trailer across the intersection and was struck by the lead engine, damaging the front end of the semi-trailer and knocking into the ditch. The semi-trailer and trailer remained upright partially in the ditch and on the private drive. The conductor was Jennifer Montanez, 45, of Lamar. The driver and passenger of the semi-trailer were transported to the Hamilton County Hospital and released with only minor injuries."
Click to expand...
I hate it when the sun prevents my ears from hearing the horn.
Click to expand...
In some, if not most cases, the train horn is not sounded for private crossings. It depends on the terms of the crossing permit. It is possible that this crossing is one of those.
 
Aloha

Considering te pictures of the damage, I do not believe the driver's reported statement.
 
PRR 60 said:
Devil's Advocate said:
TylerP42 said:
"The 2007 white Volvo semi-trailer, driven by Kevin Nagel, 47, with passenger Colton Nagel, 11, his son, both from Lamar, Colo., was stopped at the tracks coming out of a private drive. The driver was looking east into the sun and did not see the train approaching. The driver eased the semi-trailer across the intersection and was struck by the lead engine, damaging the front end of the semi-trailer and knocking into the ditch. The semi-trailer and trailer remained upright partially in the ditch and on the private drive. The conductor was Jennifer Montanez, 45, of Lamar. The driver and passenger of the semi-trailer were transported to the Hamilton County Hospital and released with only minor injuries."
Click to expand...
I hate it when the sun prevents my ears from hearing the horn.
Click to expand...
In some, if not most cases, the train horn is not sounded for private crossings. It depends on the terms of the crossing permit. It is possible that this crossing is one of those.
Click to expand...
Train or no train, he was about to enter the parallel U.S. 50/400, a fairly busy route between Dodge City and Pueblo CO. I would think he would be "looking into the sun" turning onto the highway. He and his son, as well as those on board the train were lucky this time. It could have been a lot worse. As a thought though, if I'm the locomotive engineer and I see a semi-trailer truck approaching, or stopped at a private crossing, I'm sounding my horn anyway.
 
I was walking through the train and the sudden stopping almost made me go face first into a door. I probably (sadly) would of been the only injury on the train.
 
PRR 60 said:
Devil's Advocate said:
TylerP42 said:
"The 2007 white Volvo semi-trailer, driven by Kevin Nagel, 47, with passenger Colton Nagel, 11, his son, both from Lamar, Colo., was stopped at the tracks coming out of a private drive. The driver was looking east into the sun and did not see the train approaching. The driver eased the semi-trailer across the intersection and was struck by the lead engine, damaging the front end of the semi-trailer and knocking into the ditch. The semi-trailer and trailer remained upright partially in the ditch and on the private drive. The conductor was Jennifer Montanez, 45, of Lamar. The driver and passenger of the semi-trailer were transported to the Hamilton County Hospital and released with only minor injuries."
Click to expand...
I hate it when the sun prevents my ears from hearing the horn.
Click to expand...
In some, if not most cases, the train horn is not sounded for private crossings. It depends on the terms of the crossing permit. It is possible that this crossing is one of those.
Click to expand...
Where I live private crossings get the horn. I'm unaware of any exceptions here. We do have several public crossings that do not get the horn, but in those cases a sign is prominently displayed warning motorists of this fact. This driver wasn't carelessly bringing his bicycle or moped or smart car into harms way. This commercial sized truck was a threat to anything and everything that might collide with it. If you can't see safely then you either find a way to block the sunlight, you find another route, or you wait until the sun is out of your way.
 
Knowing how things work with these small trucking companies, the driver most likely was leaving the yard later than he was supposed to, thus rushing so he didn't lose his assigned load. The windows were probably up and the music going when he quickly glanced into the sun, most likely not even stopping at the tracks. The trucking company lawyers will most likely file a suit that the train improperly hit the truck, trying to take the offense.
 
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