Train hits parade in Midland, 4 dead 16 injured, anyone manage to grab the audio?

[gr8rcall]

Thank you, hiegtx, for posting some facts. Until your post, I hadn't seen the report which I am assuming they completed very recently. The driver will have his day in court. Until then I hope he gets some support because I'm sure his thoughts are not good. Again, I would hope people would praise the responders rather than tearing into someone who obviously made an egregious mistake.

Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

Yes, thanks for the facts! I can see why you're a mentor!

 

[blinkthing]

I'm making this publicly available.

Midland Incident

4:38 CST on 11/15

Midland City Police
http://areg.radioreference.com/20121115/4/201211151635-845551-953.mp3

Midland City Fire and EMS
Starts at the mark 13:30
http://areg.radioreference.com/20121115/1/201211151623-186985-12199.mp3

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Thank you very much! The first 8 minutes of the police archive gave me the chills.

The Midland Fire Department was smooth as glass, especially the dispatcher.

 

[burner50]

Were you there? Do you know the sight lines of the road to tracks? If so, please detail. Is it possible he entered before the signal and because he had people sitting on the bed such that he was going at a slow rate of speed? Is it possible he entered before the lights, and the gates came down onto the bed at which point he got stuck and didn't know what to do? I don't know these answers, and you don't either. Wait for the official ntsb report then judge if you must.

Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

While I was not there, I work there, and I know that crossing.

The track is tangent for several miles and the train can be seen for quite a distance.

The fact of the matter is, 99.9% of the time, the driver is at fault, The crew did everything right here, and everything was operating properly at the time, except for the stuff between the truck drivers ears.

The track is good for 70mph, and the crossing is inside a "quiet zone". The crossing is clearly marked along with big black and white signs that say "DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS".

20 seconds is the federal minimum, and it is plenty of warning. Remember, it is not intended as a warning to get off the tracks, it is intended as a warning not to foul the tracks. You're never supposed to stop on the tracks.

If the warning times were longer, it would likely increase crossing collisions due to the increased number of people driving around or under the gates.

You want to know the sad part?

The very next day, as news of this was sweeping the nation, I saw 12 people drive around the gates, and 5 more stop on the tracks for traffic.

You just can't fix stupid. You may get away with it thousands of times, but one time you're going to get bitten.

 

[burner50]

I would hope people would praise the responders rather than tearing into someone who obviously made an egregious mistake.

Because this driver made a decision that directly affects my brothers and reflects poorly on them when there is question as to what happened.

There is literally no excuse for disregarding warning signals and I don't feel that ignoring that violation is acceptable.