Car Cut in Half Near Kalamazoo

[SarahZ]

Moron.

Two individuals escaped injury on Thursday night in Oshtemo Township after their car was cut in half by a westbound Amtrak train.

At approximately 10 p.m., a Chevrolet Monte Carlo heading north on 4th Street near Stadium Drive became lodged on railroad tracks at a crossing closed for maintenance after the driver proceeded around closure barriers on the street, Deputy Ron Kelly from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department said.

"They tried to make a short cut over the railroad tracks," he said. "The car got stuck on the tracks and then the train hit it."

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/08/car_cut_in_half_after_driver_a.html

This is the crossing:

 

[domefoamer]

Thanks for the photo. I've often wondered why so many cars seem to get stuck on tracks, but this picture makes it obvious. With the pavement gone, that rail would be like a wall for a conventional car.

 

[SarahZ]

Thanks for the photo. I've often wondered why so many cars seem to get stuck on tracks, but this picture makes it obvious. With the pavement gone, that rail would be like a wall for a conventional car.

Yes, and Monte Carlos sit low to the ground.

There are many more pictures in the article. It's a slideshow, but it moves pretty smoothly (i.e. doesn't refresh the page).

 

[afigg]

At approximately 10 p.m., a Chevrolet Monte Carlo heading north on 4th Street near Stadium Drive became lodged on railroad tracks at a crossing closed for maintenance after the driver proceeded around closure barriers on the street, Deputy Ron Kelly from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department said.

The grade crossing may be closed for more than simple maintenance with all of the pavement appearing to have been torn up. The crossing could be getting upgraded as part of the 110 mph CHI-DET corridor program. If there is someone stupid enough to drive around construction barriers with crossing closed signs, hopefully the plan is to put full quad gates with vehicle detection sensors at the grade crossing.

An idiot driver ahead detector would be useful as well, but I expect if there was such a device, it would be going off all too frequently.

 

[SarahZ]

At approximately 10 p.m., a Chevrolet Monte Carlo heading north on 4th Street near Stadium Drive became lodged on railroad tracks at a crossing closed for maintenance after the driver proceeded around closure barriers on the street, Deputy Ron Kelly from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department said.

The grade crossing may be closed for more than simple maintenance with all of the pavement appearing to have been torn up. The crossing could be getting upgraded as part of the 110 mph CHI-DET corridor program. If there is someone stupid enough to drive around construction barriers with crossing closed signs, hopefully the plan is to put full quad gates with vehicle detection sensors at the grade crossing.

An idiot driver ahead detector would be useful as well, but I expect if there was such a device, it would be going off all too frequently.

The tracks west of Kalamazoo have already been upgraded. The train starts to increase to 110 mph as it passes that area, so they're lucky it was going 60 and not 110.

Additionally, that's a "rural" area of Kalamazoo that doesn't get much traffic. It's mostly swamps, woods, and a couple of small neighborhoods. I'd be surprised if they put up quad gates and/or a traffic signal.

 

[Guest]

Moron.

... at a crossing closed for maintenance after the driver proceeded around closure barriers on the street, ...

Yea, I agree Moron.

In such a clear cut case, does the driver have to reimburse Amtrak for all its losses, direct and indirect?

 

[SarahZ]

Moron.

... at a crossing closed for maintenance after the driver proceeded around closure barriers on the street, ...

Yea, I agree Moron.

In such a clear cut case, does the driver have to reimburse Amtrak for all its losses, direct and indirect?

Amtrak will probably file a claim against the driver's auto insurance. The article mentioned Amtrak would expect reimbursement for damage to the train's brakes.

As far as indirect damage, such as "loss of use", that depends on the auto policy. If the auto policy doesn't cover it, then Amtrak could possibly pursue the driver directly.

Personally, I've never handled these types of claims. This would get escalated to someone above me.

 

[Karl1459]

Yea, I agree Moron.

In such a clear cut case, does the driver have to reimburse Amtrak for all its losses, direct and indirect?

In theory yes. In reality no license, no insurance, barely living on welfare or criminal efforts (habitually intoxicated and unemployable) and if not a US citizen no green card.

 

[SarahZ]

In theory yes. In reality no license, no insurance, barely living on welfare or criminal efforts (habitually intoxicated and unemployable) and if not a US citizen no green card.

There is absolutely nothing in the article to suggest this. Furthermore, the driver and passenger remained at the scene and spoke with the police.

 

[Karl1459]

I was being sarcastic. Based on years of experience responding to car crashes as a volunteer firefighter.

Even if the driver does not have license/insurance etc cooperating with the police is in the drivers best interest as the incident would usually result in at most a ticket, running would usually result in spending the night in jail.

If the "moron" does have insurance/license now there is a fair chance they will not after the dust settles... whether by a judge or the insurance company raising rates.

 

[SarahZ]

I was being sarcastic. Based on years of experience responding to car crashes as a volunteer firefighter.

My apologies. I sometimes have trouble reading tone online.

 

[MiRider]

I was being sarcastic. Based on years of experience responding to car crashes as a volunteer firefighter.

Even if the driver does not have license/insurance etc cooperating with the police is in the drivers best interest as the incident would usually result in at most a ticket, running would usually result in spending the night in jail.

If the "moron" does have insurance/license now there is a fair chance they will not after the dust settles... whether by a judge or the insurance company raising rates.

Sarcastic or not, I tend to agree with you.

Possibly, given the mindset of most Morons, these upstanding citizens who stayed on the scene may have been seeing $$$ signs and wanted to make sure they gave the correct info for their settlement check.

After all.... their car GOT HIT by a train.

 

[FormerOBS]

They'll see dollar signs, all right. The question is one of direction: whether the dollars are coming to them or away from them.

Tom

 

[fairviewroad]

Possibly, given the mindset of most Morons, these upstanding citizens who stayed on the scene may have been seeing $$$ signs and wanted to make sure they gave the correct info for their settlement check.

After all.... their car GOT HIT by a train.

Sorry to be a nitpick, but there was only one 'moron' here...the driver. The passenger was a potential victim. Another news outlet refers to the driver as a mother and the passenger as her son. (No indication of the son's age).

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Idiots who allow their vehicles to be hit by a train and manage to survive should face automatic Felony charges similar to Drunk Driving. This element of the population is better off in General Population of the Pen.

 

[Bob Dylan]

My old Drivers Training Instructor in High School ( it was so long ago that Model T-s were still the Big Seller!)

had a saying that Half the Drivers on the Road had No Business Driving and that the other Half, except for him, were Idiots! I agree!

For awhile Texas' Official Traffic Motto was " "Watch out for the other guy!" ( Guess it was too Sexist to last but it's a Great idea since Auto Roulette is played Everywhere!)

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Thanks for the photo. I've often wondered why so many cars seem to get stuck on tracks, but this picture makes it obvious. With the pavement gone, that rail would be like a wall for a conventional car.

Sounds more like the how than the why.

If there is someone stupid enough to drive around construction barriers with crossing closed signs, hopefully the plan is to put full quad gates with vehicle detection sensors at the grade crossing.

That's not a very cost effective solution. A driver this clueless and careless is unlikely to be swayed by seeing a stick of wood or plastic blocking their path.

In theory yes. In reality no license, no insurance, barely living on welfare or criminal efforts (habitually intoxicated and unemployable) and if not a US citizen no green card.

&

I was being sarcastic. Based on years of experience responding to car crashes as a volunteer firefighter.

Didn't sound like sarcasm to me.

Idiots who allow their vehicles to be hit by a train and manage to survive should face automatic Felony charges similar to Drunk Driving. This element of the population is better off in General Population of the Pen.

Let's start with truck drivers first. A Monte Carlo isn’t much of a threat to a P42 while a dump truck operated by a lazy or distracted driver is a major threat to virtually anything on wheels.

 

[SarahZ]

Update:

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/08/driver_who_got_car_stuck_on_tr.html#incart_m-rpt-2

 

[greatcats]

For what this is worth, yesterday on my road trip I checked out the grade crossing on US95 in Nevada, scene if that awful wreck in June, 2011 when the trucker hit #5. There isn't much to see there. I believe the yellow advance warning lights were there at the time of that accident.