Midland, TX NTSB report

[dave1905]

Since the original accident report was posted I thought the final report might be interesting.

 

http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2013/midland_tx/Abstract_MidlandTX.pdf

 

[Oldddudders]

Since the original accident report was posted I thought the final report might be interesting.

 

http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2013/midland_tx/Abstract_MidlandTX.pdf

Sorry, Dave. All I get is a sign-in page for Cox Communications.

 

Hang on. Cox? Midland TX? Back in the '60s, a model firm called Cox made a Chaparral - the original full-size racing cars being made in Midland, TX, by a couple of oilmen, Jim Hall and Hap Sharp!

[Prof Klyzlr]

Dear OldD,

 

Once we take the redundant header webmail redirector out, and revert the ASCII to the correct symbols, we get

 

http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2013/midland_tx/abstract_midlandtx.pdf

 

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

[Oldddudders]

Dear OldD,

 

Once we take the redundant header webmail redirector out, and revert the ASCII to the correct symbols, we get

 

http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2013/midland_tx/abstract_midlandtx.pdf

 

 

Thanks, it worked fine that time. It does not make nice reading, but does show just how far removed from understanding a grade crossing even uniformed police can be. As far as UP are concerned, what would they do if told about the procession? Stop all trains and caution them through town? Is that realistic?

[Adrian Wintle]

It also shows how far removed from understanding a grade crossing the NTSB investigators are. By their own description the primary cause of the accident was the 'float' entering a fully signalled level crossing with working indicators. The fact that the signals at the road intersection are pre-empted is irrelevant as, like in most other situations, the crossing warnings and barriers should be sufficient. However, based on the comment that the barrier came down on the trailer, it is possible that the lights/bells didn't start until the nose of the tractor was entering the crossing.

 

There is also no mention of the idea that, if the driver was so concerned about monitoring his passengers that he was not concentrating on the road ahead, there should have been a second person in the cab to do that monitoring.

 

I find that report to be very poor*, albeit with some important points: notification of the railroad, ensuring that the municipality's bylaws are followed, etc.

 

And yes, if UP had advance knowledge of the procession and its scheduling, they could potentially have adjusted schedules to provide a 'dead time' for the duration.

 

*this is perhaps coloured by the fact that, in another life, I would occasionally read NTSB aircraft accident reports.

 

Adrian

[admiles]

The sheer stupidity displayed on the part of the Police and truck driver involved is quite breathtaking. Is there no common sense left these days??

[dave1905]

Many railroads don't actually stop rail traffic, but they do issue "look out" orders alerting the train crews and it gives a point of contact between the railroad and local organizers to reach an understanding on what is expected.

 

The feeling often is stopping trains is *more* unsafe than making everybody aware. Part of the problem in this incident was the false sense of security that everything was stopped. Communicating that the trains are "turned back on" to a couple thousand people milling about who think trains are stopped is problematic and creates a huge risk for the first couple trains through the area.

[dibber25]

Without knowing more about the precise layout of the accident site, I would be reluctant to call anyone stupid. Sites where road intersections are close to railroad grade crossings abound in North America and no two are quite the same. Road traffic signals may have to be interlocked with grade crossing warnings/barriers in order to prevent the 'trapping' of vehicles in standing traffic, on the crossing. Some are, some aren't. I read a report some years ago, of a schoolbus trapped on a crossing in such circumstances. If a traffic signal is green and the grade crossing signal beyond it it red, it may only take a split second's distraction or looking the wrong way, to miss a red signal. A law enforcement escort might well instil a false sense of security. Notifying the railroad beforehand, apart from being a simple courtesy, offers the railroad the opportunity to say, "call this number five minutes before the float is due to cross and we'll tell you if there's a train in the area." It isn't a case of stopping trains, its an opportunity for the railroad to say, "hold the parade for 10 minutes." 

CHRIS LEIGH

[highpeak]

Are you thinking of the Fox River Grove accident? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Fox_River_Grove_bus%E2%80%93train_collision

I've visited one of our plants just up the road from there, there's a number of similar grade crossings nearby. I think they are very dangerous configurations regardless of how the traffic signals are set up.

[Ozexpatriate]

From the NTSB report:

It also struck a stationary 2008 Ford Crown Victoria occupied by a sheriff’s deputy. The collision did not cause the train to derail.

Staggering, absolutely staggering. This little detail was not clear in the early news reports.

This <editorial adjective deleted> deputy apparently parked his patrol car on a level crossing! I am gobsmacked.

[Ozexpatriate]

Without knowing more about the precise layout of the accident site, I would be reluctant to call anyone stupid.

Chris, I agree, we "shouldn't" call anyone stupid, their actions however may warrant such an adjective.

 

Please look at the site. I believe this is the location. There's no weird 'trapping' barrier/street configuration in this instance. The main NTSB page is here. A vehicle travelling at 5 mph travels 147' in 20 seconds. The distance from Front Street to the level crossing was 80'. The report doesn't state how long the tractor+trailer combination was, but I believe that trailer is 53' long. The crossing lights were probably flashing before this vehicle even reached the intersection of Front Street.

 

The UP line through west Texas is a big class 1 line. The train in question was going from L.A. to Atlanta. I don't know what the frequency of traffic on this line is, but it's not a backwoods branch line. The train was doing 62 mph.

 

That a parade route should be planned to intentionally cross a level crossing without any consideration to the movement of trains is stupid.

Compounding that mistake, that a police officer should stop a patrol car on the tracks of a level crossing is stupid.

 

The result of such stupid actions is inevitably loss of life.

[Ozexpatriate]

Sites where road intersections are close to railroad grade crossings abound in North America and no two are quite the same. Road traffic signals may have to be interlocked with grade crossing warnings/barriers in order to prevent the 'trapping' of vehicles in standing traffic, on the crossing. Some are, some aren't. I read a report some years ago, of a schoolbus trapped on a crossing in such circumstances.

Are you thinking of the Fox River Grove accident? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Fox_River_Grove_bus–train_collision

I've visited one of our plants just up the road from there, there's a number of similar grade crossings nearby. I think they are very dangerous configurations regardless of how the traffic signals are set up.

Here is the NTSB report for the dreadful Fox River Grove school bus accident. I lived in the Chicago area when this happened. It was awful.

 

Look at page 16, (figure 5) and the situation Chris describes is quite evident.

[Ozexpatriate]

The sheer stupidity displayed on the part of the Police and truck driver involved is quite breathtaking. Is there no common sense left these days??

The parade organizers really hold the responsibility, though I can't imagine why a police officer would ever stop a patrol car on a level crossing. The report is quite clear as to what the driver was concentrating on.

 

We first discussed this accident here.

[Talltim]

It doesn't actually say that the police car was on the crossing

[Ozexpatriate]

It doesn't actually say that the police car was on the crossing

It does say:

 

The train reached the crossing and struck the right rear of the float, causing the flatbed to rotate clockwise 122 degrees. As the flatbed rotated, it struck several occupants who were evacuating the float. It also struck a stationary 2008 Ford Crown Victoria occupied by a sheriff’s deputy. The collision did not cause the train to derail.

If you interpret this to mean that the flatbed struck the patrol car (rather than the train), then you make a fair point. Even if that is the case, the patrol car must have been very close to the crossing.

[dave1905]

From the NTSB report:

Staggering, absolutely staggering. This little detail was not clear in the early news reports.

 

This <editorial adjective deleted> deputy apparently parked his patrol car on a level crossing! I am gobsmacked.

 

 The report says that the trailer was flanked by two police cars.  I would assume the police car on the off side (whose view would be blocked by the trailer) was the one involved.  The report doesn't say the police car was on the crossing, it says the trailer was swung around and struck the stationary police car.