Well, it's finally made today's paper. Here it is.
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/artic ... 103824.txt
Man injured when van, train collide
BY ANDREA HAHN
THE SOUTHERN
JACKSON COUNTY - The railroad crossing at Burris Road and U.S. 51 near De Soto in Jackson County is not marked by gates or lights.
The road is level, visibility is generally good. The road is a lightly-traveled road that ends in a driveway, or curves around toward Burris Disposal
On Tuesday night, a van driven by Gary Henderson, 48, of Carbondale, pulled in front of a moving freight train at that crossing, according to the Jackson County sheriff's deputies who handled the wreck. Although the northbound train immediately went into emergency braking, it hit the van on the driver's side and dragged it about 1,500 feet before the train could stop. The van had been headed west toward U.S. 51.
The train stopped on a concrete bridge over the Big Muddy River. There is a steep drop off the side of the bridge. Oil spilled, apparently from the van, indicates the van was within several feet of dropping off the bridge.
Express Towing used three tow trucks and "a lot of work" to get the van off the bridge.
The crew of the Canadian National Railroad train told deputies they were approaching the grade crossing when the 1992 Chevrolet van suddenly pulled into the train's path.
Jim Kvedaras, senior manager of U.S. public and government affairs for the Canadian National, said late Wednesday he'd heard few details about the accident. As always, he said, the railroad will cooperate with local authorities and furnish any information to help with the investigation into the collision.
Henderson was taken to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale and then flown to St. Louis University Hospital with what police describe as "very serious injuries," after the collision at about 10 p.m. Tuesday.
The single-engine train was pulling 10 cars.
The collision remains under investigation, but deputies said alcohol may be a factor.
Henderson's sister, Desiree Henderson of Carbondale, said she was on the phone with her brother almost immediately before the collision. She said she heard the train's whistle over the phone before her brother hung up the phone and could tell from the sound it was very close.
Desiree Henderson said she feared her brother deliberately crossed in front of the train. She said he had personal problems that had led to some changes in behavior recently.
On Wednesday, Gary Henderson was in stable condition in the intensive care unit at the hospital, his sister said. He suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs and several broken bones in his hip and pelvis, she said. However, she said, he does not seem to have suffered head trauma, and could still recover completely.
The crossing is one of 11 in the county that do not have red, flashing stop lights or stop gates, according to information provided by the Illinois Department of Transportation. There are a total of 49 railroad crossings in the county.
Doug Kern of IDOT said there is a formula for determining which crossings get which types of warning signals. Basically, the decision to put up gates is determined by the number of trains using the tracks and the number of vehicles using the crossing.
State law requires trains to sound a horn warning one-quarter mile before and until reaching a crossing. Railroads may be excused from doing this if the crossing is equipped with warning devices such as flashing lights or gates. They also may be excused if the crossing has had fewer than three collisions in the previous five years.
State Police Master Sgt. Mike Hooks said even without a gate or lights, crossing the tracks when a train is within sight or sound is against the law. He advises drivers to put into practice the old saying, "Stop, look and listen," when they come up to a railroad crossing - regardless of whether there are lights or not.
"You might be able to beat a train across the tracks, but if you tie with it, you lose," he said. "If you can see it or if you can hear it, you have to stop."
The penalty for crossing against a train's right-of-way is a minimum $250 at the first offense, a minimum of $500 at the second offense. A first-time offender may have the option of 25 hours of community service. A multiple offender will be paying the fine, Hooks said.
He said he cited someone recently in Du Quoin for driving around the gate.
"He told me, 'The trains always go slow here. I always get around them,'" Hooks said. "The only way for a train to hit a vehicle is for the vehicle to cross the tracks. Trains don't cross centerlines or run stop signs. It's a choice a driver makes when they cross the tracks. Just like it's a choice when a driver drinks and drives. What people don't realize is that they can make an eternal decision in a flash."
[email protected]
618-529-5454 x15076
The engineer threw the train into emergency, but couldn't stop in time.