VA - Amtrak Train hits garbage truck, 1 killed, Crozet, Jan 2018 *civil suit in 2021*

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PrairieWind said:
The only thing I can think of is that the truck must have been in between the arms, stopped on the track. That would go along with the idea it was stalled on the tracks. But why would the men stay with the truck?
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Yes and how would there be no damage to the crossing arms when the train hit the truck? How does the truck get to where it is without going through the crossing arms? I still can't even see how it gets impacted right there and ends up there. That train stopped awfully fast.
 
PrairieWind said:
The only thing I can think of is that the truck must have been in between the arms, stopped on the track. That would go along with the idea it was stalled on the tracks. But why would the men stay with the truck?
Click to expand...


but i dont think a large truck could squeeze through two down gates - or if the gates started to go down after they bottomed out they would break out

t and c local poster -- have they gotten bigger trucks lately -- I went looking for pics of their fleet and the only ones i saw looked like regular ones

but the cab on this has the rear wheel sets on the cab itself like a 18 wheeler??

j_in_c said:
The truck was impacted at the crossing that is shown in the photos, it was not dragged from another crossing (there isn't one that close for it to have dragged from).

In response to those who mentioned the guys working the truck - if it is indeed the same crew that comes to my house (which seems likely at this point) - they are a wonderful crew that always engages with the little ones that come out to watch and who have gone up the driveway to grab a can that neighbors have forgotten to put out.

I don't quite know how to explain the crossing except to say that it is one with a warning for a trailer because you could easily bottom it out as you go up one side and down the other. This truck would have driven this route many, many times (unless there was a different driver or some other issue - I have not heard anything in that regard) and so it is hard to understand how it would get stuck there. There is a very long farm driveway next to the tracks and I have never noted if they put our trash cans or not. I am sure the investigation will turn up more information.
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how close would you say the last crossing was ?

These beasts talk a really long time to stop . It was 10 cabs and two locomotives -- that is heck of a lot of forward motion.

really big ones (not this can take miles!)
 
Here it is going back -- its the same markings as the rear one in the other shots


daily mail link earlier
48C51B0200000578-5336033-image-a-156_1517427470546.jpg
 
CARIIS said:
but i dont think a large truck could squeeze through two down gates - or if the gates started to go down after they bottomed out they would break out

t and c local poster -- have they gotten bigger trucks lately -- I went looking for pics of their fleet and the only ones i saw looked like regular ones

but the cab on this has the rear wheel sets on the cab itself like a 18 wheeler??

QUOTE=j_in_c;13903085]

how close would you say the last crossing was ?

These beasts talk a really long time to stop . It was 10 cabs and two locomotives -- that is heck of a lot of forward motion.

really big ones (not this can take miles!)
Click to expand...

No - these are the same trucks they have used since I have been here. The next crossing - I have to look at google maps, Downtown Crozet has a bridge as does the 250/240 juncture. All reports (including video posted by someone with house next to the tracks) state the collision occurred at the lane town crossing.

I can only wonder if it was pulled off to pick up trash on the farm rd/driveway next to the tracks. I know the freight trains don't follow a set schedule, but Amtrak does (although I guess with delays and all, it could be less predictable), it seems like the garbage crew would have been at this spot at a regular time along with an Amtrak to know to stay clear.

Hard to understand the physics without going out to look which I am sure wouldn't be appreciated. I'll have to look at some of the online footage and see if it makes more sense.

Mostly I am just terribly sad about the loss of life and especially if it is the very sweet crew that takes care of us here in my neighborhood.
 
The Congressman I heard talking (I didn't catch of the name of who it was) said the train stopped very fast. The lead engine did come off the track so I suppose that would cause pretty rapid deceleration. Very lucky it didn't tip over and take cars with it.
 
j_in_c said:
No - these are the same trucks they have used since I have been here. The next crossing - I have to look at google maps, Downtown Crozet has a bridge as does the 250/240 juncture. All reports (including video posted by someone with house next to the tracks) state the collision occurred at the lane town crossing.

I can only wonder if it was pulled off to pick up trash on the farm rd/driveway next to the tracks. I know the freight trains don't follow a set schedule, but Amtrak does (although I guess with delays and all, it could be less predictable), it seems like the garbage crew would have been at this spot at a regular time along with an Amtrak to know to stay clear.

Hard to understand the physics without going out to look which I am sure wouldn't be appreciated. I'll have to look at some of the online footage and see if it makes more sense.

Mostly I am just terribly sad about the loss of life and especially if it is the very sweet crew that takes care of us here in my neighborhood.
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It was a charter
 
This is a good photo to help get oriented. So it certainly looks as though the truck could have fit in between the crossing guards when they were down. This photo doesn't show the incline on the north side of the tracks (the side this photo is taken from) and directly behind the ambulance is a private drive (which as I stated before, I have no idea if they get trash pickup or not). If the truck was crossing north to south and then was hit with a train coming from the east, it could have pushed the truck into that position. Some of the other photos have made it look like a eastbound train hit the truck and that had me confused. Hoping if I watch some video footage it will make more sense.
 
Have you seen it confirmed it was a charter? I had heard there were other passengers, but a charter makes more sense about it not being regularly scheduled. (There are definitely Amtrak trains that come through here regularly, we used to purposely go to the library which was the old depot when my children were little as they loved getting to see a train up close). Majority of the trains coming through Crozet are CSX though.
 
J_inC, in that photo above, which direction are we looking?
 
j_in_c said:
Have you seen it confirmed it was a charter? I had heard there were other passengers, but a charter makes more sense about it not being regularly scheduled. (There are definitely Amtrak trains that come through here regularly, we used to purposely go to the library which was the old depot when my children were little as they loved getting to see a train up close). Majority of the trains coming through Crozet are CSX though.
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A chartered train carrying Republican lawmakers to a retreat collided with a garbage truck in Virginia on Wednesday morning, leaving at least one person dead.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/train-carrying-gop-lawmakers-retreat-hits-trash-truck-n843311
 
Ok. So you can see it was actually just a regular garbage truck. It just got the entire trash compartment knocked off.
 
PrairieWind said:
Ok. So you can see it was actually just a regular garbage truck. It just got the entire trash compartment knocked off.
Click to expand...


What I dont get is the cab is configured as an 18 wheeler as it relates to the number of tires on the cab part??
 
j_in_c said:
The truck was impacted at the crossing that is shown in the photos, it was not dragged from another crossing (there isn't one that close for it to have dragged from).

In response to those who mentioned the guys working the truck - if it is indeed the same crew that comes to my house (which seems likely at this point) - they are a wonderful crew that always engages with the little ones that come out to watch and who have gone up the driveway to grab a can that neighbors have forgotten to put out.

I don't quite know how to explain the crossing except to say that it is one with a warning for a trailer because you could easily bottom it out as you go up one side and down the other. This truck would have driven this route many, many times (unless there was a different driver or some other issue - I have not heard anything in that regard) and so it is hard to understand how it would get stuck there. There is a very long farm driveway next to the tracks and I have never noted if they put our trash cans or not. I am sure the investigation will turn up more information.
Click to expand...

They do sound like a wonderful crew. I hope the victims were not your exact workers. Prayers for their families no matter.

Our crew in another state is also very nice and I always try to give them the respect they deserve. Its a very hard job and people dont always realize how hard a job they have.
 
I hope these videos are OK to use.

You locals might be able to pinpoint the location from this one:
https://youtu.be/nTuFldJi6So
[video=youtu;nTuFldJi6So]http://youtu.be/nTuFldJi6So[/video]



Early video with more details than I have heard so far:
[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2VIBu4iYO5o[/video]
 
J_in_C you will have to keep us informed. With those crossing gates down, I just cannot see how this happened. I guess it could have been stalled on the tracks, the gates came down on either side of it. But why on Earth would the trash crew have not ran away? The cab doesn't look too badly damaged, so I am speculating the driver survived.
 
PrairieWind said:
The only thing I can think of is that the truck must have been in between the arms, stopped on the track. That would go along with the idea it was stalled on the tracks. But why would the men stay with the truck?
Click to expand...

To maybe explain why the workers didnt realize the train was upon them I think you dont always hear the trains like you think you would. Especially if their own engine was running in the truck they were on. Their own engine noise may have drowned out the approaching trains noise.

Also if they were on back of the truck they may have not had a clear view of the coming train.

Many years ago I had a really close call when I was crossing some railroad tracks. It was one that had no gates and just had lights. For some reason I didnt see any blinking lights and just as I got over the tracks I saw in my rear view mirror the train zooming past. It scared the daylights out of me and ever since then I am especially careful when crossing tracks. I never heard a thing either. I was inside my car though with windows rolled up so that may have blocked out the noise.

I could see where the driver may not have heard anything if he was inside and had windows up.

I am sure there will be a full investigation to help understand what happened.
 
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