3 dead as train hits SUV in Marissa, Illinois

http://tinyurl.com/yc73gy


Three people were killed and a fourth injured this morning when an empty coal train smashed into a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer at a rail crossing in Marissa, IL.


(Note: post edited by Komachi @ 7:58pm CST, Tuesday, November 21, 2006, to conform with railroad.net rules on posting articles/news reports on the forums)

What a needless waste!! Visibility at this crossing is at least a mile in either direction, straight track on both sides of the crossing. A prime example of being in a hurry to die!

I was checking my timetable for the St. Louis Sub, and the max speed at this point (M.P 37.4) is 60. Plus this morning it was sunny and no fog was present so this was a bad accident that could have been prevented. As a result of this, CN will probably be installing gates at this crossing as well.

The thing that struck me was that descriptions of the accident differed greatly between the brakeman and the witness. The one thing that wont lie is the camera mounted on the lead locomotive, if equipped. In any case one womans decision to race a train into its tracks has cost her, her daughter and daughters friend their lives and another teenage girl, if she pulls through, will likely have to live with that decision for the rest of her life. As will the train crew. I cant understand why people keep attempting suicide this way - its not like the train could swerve around a motorist in the midst of a terrible decision or just stop on a dime. Now, dozens of people have shattered lives. Was waiting a couple minutes such a bad thing?

emd_SD_60 wrote:http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/s ... enDocument

MARISSA -- Three people were killed and a fourth injured this morning when an empty coal train smashed into a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer at a rail crossing in Marissa, Police Chief Mike Kerperien said.

"The conductor tells me that the driver made no attempt to brake and drove into the path of the train," Kerperien said.

Jackie Leader, 50, of Marissa, witnessed the accident: "The car came up to the tracks and it hesitated, like she was deciding to cross, and she thought she could make it."

2spot wrote:The thing that struck me was that descriptions of the accident differed greatly between the brakeman and the witness. The one thing that wont lie is the camera mounted on the lead locomotive, if equipped.

Considering this was a UP train with UP engines, and most of their newer power having cameras, the possibility is great. We'll just have to wait and see...

Went by the accident site this morning about 0400. Along side the tracks I could see a memorial, balloons, flowers, etc. How sad and totally unnecessary.

I just do not get it!! Why, Why, Why? They could have had a great Thanksgiving. A Chevy Trailblazer is one of the bigger cars on the road, but a 2.50 ton Chevy is no match for a 200 ton locomotive. I have been told a car being hit by a train is similar to running a soda can over with your car.
http://trainiax.net/drawings/paint/cngp40-2lw-comp.gif
Little Chevy:
http://photos.ebizautos.com/6216/1265628_10.jpg
Big locomotive PLUS heavy freight cars.
http://64.246.11.82/images/p/Picture_124.jpg.82861.jpg

The reasons behind why people decide to make that last minute run across the tracks varies widely from person to person.

However, let me add this little factoid...

Between my dad, who is a Driver's Ed instructor, and a few friends who are Operation Lifesaver spokespeople, I've seen a few videos with car vs. train footage. I remember a few that featured a camera mounted inside a vehicle, "stalled" on the tracks, watching the train approaching. They talk about how it's hard to gauge a trains' speed/distance when viewing it head on (I forget, at the moment, if it's an optical illusion created by the headlight/ditchlights, or what it is...). That could be one answer. People thinking the train is further away and/or moving slower than what it appears and then deciding that they can make it.

Not that I'm condoning their actions, just adding an observation that may trigger peoples' "Hey, I can make it!" instincts.


I'm with the majority on this. Two minutes waiting isn't going to kill you... the train is.

A lot of people that have previously commented on this have been so very disrespectful. The family, my family, doesn't want filth spoken on any of these names. A lot of people lost someone that day, if you didn't you have absolutely no space to lay out your opinion.