98(6) Grade Crossing Incident

[Thirdrail7]

This is the main reason 98(6) is running 7 hours late. She's alive which means she'll have a heck of a story to tell. Naturally, I'm posting this article without judgement.

Woman struck by train in West Palm Beach

http://www.wpbf.com/news/woman-struck-by-train-in-west-palm-beach/40382120

Please allow a brief "fair use" quote:

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. —A woman was rushed to St. Mary’s Medical Center Wednesday morning after colliding with an Amtrak train at the railroad crossing at 25th street and Windsor Avenue in West Palm Beach.

 

[CCC1007]

They actually said colliding with the train, not that the train hit her car! Is this the end of the world?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

They actually said colliding with the train, not that the train hit her car! Is this the end of the world?

Maybe!

 

[jis]

I hope this does not happen to the Meteor this Saturday. If it happens so, hope they can find room for me on the Cap to Chicago on Sunday, or let me just fly on my own dime to new York and catch the rest of my itinerary from there.

 

[AmtrakLKL]

'Twas a bad day all around. Tri-Rail had a trespasser strike yesterday afternoon which also hosed 91(05) and 97(05) south of West Palm Beach.

 

[KnightRail]

There must be more to this one than an average grade crossing incident. The circumstances got the NTSB's selective attention.

TWITTER @NTSB: NTSB investigating this morning's grade crossing accident involving an Amtrak train in West Palm Beach, FL. 7/6/16, 3:24PM from Washington, DC

 

[afigg]

There must be more to this one than an average grade crossing incident. The circumstances got the NTSB's selective attention.

TWITTER @NTSB: NTSB investigating this morning's grade crossing accident involving an Amtrak train in West Palm Beach, FL. 7/6/16, 3:24PM from Washington, DC

This is likely the reason the NTSB is investigating the collision at 25th Street in WPB. Updated WPBF news report: Witnesses: Rail worker waved driver across tracks as train approached. Excerpts:

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. A 24-year-old Riviera Beach woman remains in critical condition Thursday after an Amtrak train carrying passengers slammed into her car as she drove across the tracks at 25th St.

Tairia Lee was in the intensive care unit with unspecified injuries after witnesses said the train dragged her car several hundred feet, blowing out the cars windows and throwing Lee underneath the vehicle. Witnesses who rushed to her aid said her seat belt was still buckled.

.....

Witnesses to the crash told WPBF 25 News that a VTMI employee had been working on the crossing arms since earlier that morning, and was directing traffic when he had the crossing arms in an upright position.

Three witnesses said they saw the employee standing in the control booth next to the tracks, and that he waved Lee the okay to cross the tracks. However, they said the employee was inside the booth with his back to the oncoming train.

If a contractor flagman waved a driver into the path of an oncoming train, the NTSB is going to be interested in why he did so.

 

[FormerOBS]

This looks like a very interesting developing story, but the original video item is incredibly short on facts. Did she collide with the train (implying that she drove into the side of it as it passed), or did it collide with her (implying that she drove in front of it and it hit her). There is no point in the reporter saying the crossing has had issues, if those issues are not specified. If repairs were being made to the crossing protection devices, it seems that it would be important to say that.

In short, we don't know nuttin' until more information surfaces.

I'm glad she survived, though.

Tom

 

[FormerOBS]

More recent news coverage says an employee of VTMI, a subcontractor, was working on the crossing gates and waved the woman across the active tracks in the path of the train.

The news item I saw indicated that the gates were in the up position, and the NTSB is investigating.

I, for one, will be very interested to see how this story unfolds.

Tom