Van Vs Train
- Thread starter jimmnn
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Yes I just heard 5 fatal on this train vs van and 2 more were gonna be flown by flight for life and there was also another accident in Prowers another fatal I think that was a semi truck vs car on Hwy 50, another state patrol said he seen media headed to the scene. thats all I could catch since i'm like 1 hour away from Prowers county
funcritter
Member
(CBS4) GRANADA, Colo. The state patrol said several people were killed when a train hit a van on Highway 50 in Prowers County Thursday morning.
Troopers said the crash happened 2 miles west of Granada at mile marker 453 at about 10:25 a.m. Granada is east of Pueblo in southeast Colorado.
Authorities said a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train hit the van, killing at least 4 or 5 people.
Troopers said the crash happened 2 miles west of Granada at mile marker 453 at about 10:25 a.m. Granada is east of Pueblo in southeast Colorado.
Authorities said a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train hit the van, killing at least 4 or 5 people.
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Here is Channel 5
http://www.koaa.com/news/view.asp?ID=4874
The Colorado state patrol just said they are all out of state notifacations
http://www.koaa.com/news/view.asp?ID=4874
The Colorado state patrol just said they are all out of state notifacations
Last edited:
GRANADA, Colo. -- Five people who were killed and two were injured when their sport utility vehicle was rammed by a freight train Thursday morning in southeast Colorado, the Prowers County coroner said.
Prowers County Coroner Joe Giadone said the dead include three women in their 20s, a boy who is between 12 and 15 years old, and a 36-year-old man. Two passengers in the SUV survived the accident but were seriously injured and had to be airlifted to Denver Health Medical Center.
All of the victims were migrant workers whose hometowns were not yet known, but the SUV had Texas plates and Giadone said he found identification papers from Texas and Montana.
The victims were all riding in a red Ford Explorer that attempted to cross the railroad tracks on a county road west of Granada when it was struck on the passenger side by a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train.
The vehicle rolled 3/4 times and came to rest just north of the tracks. Four of the victims were ejected; three victims, including the driver, remained secured in the car.
Five of the victims died at the scene from massive trauma, and two were transported to Prowers Medical Center with serious injuries. A front passenger -- a woman in her mid-30s -- as well as another victim, were later airlifted to Denver Health.
Giadone said that the driver was 15 years old.
Neither of the two members on the train was injured.
The crash occurred around 10:25 a.m on Prowers County Road 22.5, on Colorado Highway 50, about two miles west of Granada in southeastern Colorado, near the Kansas border, the CSP said.
Officials say the train was moving about 55 mph when it hit the SUV at a crossing that's marked by signs but no lights or gates. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said about six trains pass through that crossing every 24 hours. She said the train had originated in Kansas City, Kan., and was bound for Southern California.
The train had 66 cars, all empty, and two locomotives, and is 6431 feet long, Kent said.
Giadone said the single-track crossing was the scene of another fatal accident two or three years ago, but he did not know the details. A driver was killed and a passenger was injured in 2001 when a truck and a BNSF train collided near Granada, but it was not immediately clear whether that occurred at the same crossing.
Granada, a farming town of 640 people, is 170 miles southeast of Denver. The accident occurred near Grassmick Farms.
The victims' names have not been released. The next of kin has not been notified.
Prowers County Coroner Joe Giadone said the dead include three women in their 20s, a boy who is between 12 and 15 years old, and a 36-year-old man. Two passengers in the SUV survived the accident but were seriously injured and had to be airlifted to Denver Health Medical Center.
All of the victims were migrant workers whose hometowns were not yet known, but the SUV had Texas plates and Giadone said he found identification papers from Texas and Montana.
The victims were all riding in a red Ford Explorer that attempted to cross the railroad tracks on a county road west of Granada when it was struck on the passenger side by a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train.
The vehicle rolled 3/4 times and came to rest just north of the tracks. Four of the victims were ejected; three victims, including the driver, remained secured in the car.
Five of the victims died at the scene from massive trauma, and two were transported to Prowers Medical Center with serious injuries. A front passenger -- a woman in her mid-30s -- as well as another victim, were later airlifted to Denver Health.
Giadone said that the driver was 15 years old.
Neither of the two members on the train was injured.
The crash occurred around 10:25 a.m on Prowers County Road 22.5, on Colorado Highway 50, about two miles west of Granada in southeastern Colorado, near the Kansas border, the CSP said.
Officials say the train was moving about 55 mph when it hit the SUV at a crossing that's marked by signs but no lights or gates. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said about six trains pass through that crossing every 24 hours. She said the train had originated in Kansas City, Kan., and was bound for Southern California.
The train had 66 cars, all empty, and two locomotives, and is 6431 feet long, Kent said.
Giadone said the single-track crossing was the scene of another fatal accident two or three years ago, but he did not know the details. A driver was killed and a passenger was injured in 2001 when a truck and a BNSF train collided near Granada, but it was not immediately clear whether that occurred at the same crossing.
Granada, a farming town of 640 people, is 170 miles southeast of Denver. The accident occurred near Grassmick Farms.
The victims' names have not been released. The next of kin has not been notified.
Hmmmm...no lights or gates. Seems like the RRs should have those at ALL crossings. At least one would think...
evergreenwaterman
Member
Sorry my friend, this is rural, I speak from experience. To make a long story short, about 1979, a friendly farmer pulled a friend and I from the tracks in this area with his tractor after my car got stuck on the tracks. The crossings are very narrow. We had fortunate lead time.
Todd-NG
Member
datainmotion said:
In a perfect world lights and gates at every crossing would make perfect sense. However we do not live in a perfect world. The amount of money it would cost to install these at every crossing would be enormous. Then factor in the extra cost of routine maintenance and inspection for them all. The maintenance people would be overwhelmed by this and could easily fall behind in their inspections creating more of a danger then what we have now.
Everyone knows what a stop sign is and what you're suppose to do when you come upon one, STOP! At a RR crossing with lights or gates you only have to stop if these signals are activated. Although it is extremely rare for a crossing signal to fail it does happen, and the risk increases if it has not received proper maintenance. The more crossing signals that you have the greater the potential for a failure.
If a driver fails to stop for a stop sign at a crossing and gets hit by a train then it's the drivers fault for the accident. However if a crossing signal malfunctions and a vehicle is hit at the intersection then the railroad is at fault. Whenever possible railroads do not want to take on this added liability risk when you consider a wrongful injury or death lawsuit can cost them millions.
But then again it's not all about the money either; it's about safety and common sense too. The railroads have no problem with installing crossing signals at the busy intersections and in places where there are obstructed views or other possible dangers. They also have their "Operation Lifesaver Program" to educate the public about crossing safety. I seem to recall their saying as "Stop, Look, Listen and stay alive" or something like that. Additionally they took a 1980's Mustang that had been hit by a train and mounted it on a flatbed trailer. They park this trailer near different crossings all the time as a reminder to motorists of the dangers of not yielding to signals or stopping at crossings where signals are not present.
Even with signals working properly there are accidents at crossings because people don't use common sense. Look at the fire engine in Garfield County that was struck by a train. The driver saw the signals flashing and "assumed they were malfunctioning" so without stopping to make sure he tried to cross the tracks. BIG MISTAKE! Back in the 80's a paramedic friend of mine responded on a call where 2 vehicles were hit by a train at a crossing. The vehicles were traveling in opposite directions when the crossing arms came down and both drivers decided to try and beat the train by driving around the guards. They then collided head-on with each other right on the tracks. Both drivers were injured and only one was able to get out of his vehicle before the train hit. He stated that he could see the other driver still moving inside the car but he didn't have time to assist getting him out. The train collided with the driver's side of that vehicle and needless to say he did not survive.
Thanks for the well thought out replies! I grew up in NW suburban Chicago where trains were very prevelant and I am ever so conscious about the danger of trains.
Common sense is good in therory, but about as hard to find these days as a virgin after Senior Prom.
Occasionally, I like to gently stir the pot to see what's in there.
Common sense is good in therory, but about as hard to find these days as a virgin after Senior Prom.
Occasionally, I like to gently stir the pot to see what's in there.
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