Amtrak train hits vehicle in Florida, killing woman and 2 children, authorities say
https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-car-amtrak-crash-
https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-car-amtrak-crash-
Amtrak train hits vehicle in Florida 11/23/19
- Thread starter Mike G
- Start date
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How horrible! No gate and the railroad signs were obscured by bushes.
Here is a link to a Palm Beach Post photo gallery showing photos of the accident and surrounding area where the railroad signs do not appear to be obscured.
jis
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I have been there. I thought I had seen clear signage for a railroad crossing. I guess I remembered correctly.
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The grade crossing by milepost 945 where the collision occurred (per photo 9 of 9 in the link in Post #3 and the FRA map - https://fragis.fra.dot.gov/GISFRASafety/ ) is shown in this Google Earth image dated January, 2019:
If the newspaper article is correct, the vehicle was traveling in a Southwesterly direction when struck and vegetation must grow terribly fast in that area.
If the newspaper article is correct, the vehicle was traveling in a Southwesterly direction when struck and vegetation must grow terribly fast in that area.
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Qapla
Engineer
This is the view from the Bee Line headed north
This is the view headed south
Not sure why you would not know there are tracks or how you would miss seeing a train on those tracks even without gates at the crossing
This is the view headed south
Not sure why you would not know there are tracks or how you would miss seeing a train on those tracks even without gates at the crossing
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Thirdrail7
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It possible the vegetation obscured the right of way as well as the signs. If you're unfamiliar with the area and there aren't signs, you're unlikely to look for the tracks.
Qapla
Engineer
Looking at the pics that seem to have been taken after the wreck - it doesn't look like it was obscured, unless they mowed the entire area between the wreck and the pics (see post #5)
She may have been distracted by her kids. I have a few friends who've nearly run stop signs and red lights because they had shrieking children they were trying to deal with.
Or she was tired/frazzled/impatient and thought she could beat it.
Or the signs were covered somehow, if the article is correct.
Either way, it's sad.
Or she was tired/frazzled/impatient and thought she could beat it.
Or the signs were covered somehow, if the article is correct.
Either way, it's sad.
RSG
OBS Chief
I was thinking it was a distracted driver situation, myself...
Looking at the photos of the different angles of the intersection, taken the same day of the accident, the entire intersection looks very clear. The signs are very noticeable and you can see for a long distance down the tracks.
It really doesn't seem like anything was obstructed. I just think the driver tragically became distracted.
I pride myself on being a very careful driver, including teaching my kids that distracting me in the car isn't allowed. But sometimes they still start bickering or asking me to help them or try to show me things, and I have to remind them, and just the act of reminding takes at least part of my mind off of my driving. But even when the kids are silent, sometimes I get lost in my own head for a moment or two, and perhaps something like that happened at the worst possible moment in this case. If course there are so many possibilities---she could have been momentarily blinded, or feeling ill, or following a GPS system a bit too mindlessly, etc. It's terribly sad, whatever happened.
The beauty of the flashing lights & gates, is, of course, that they are much harder to miss, even if the driver is distracted by anything. So I can see why people are asking that more crossings have the lights & gates. I just question reports that make it seem that it either wasn't marked at all or that the signs were hidden, because the current photos just show a very open, clear intersection with very clear signs.
It really doesn't seem like anything was obstructed. I just think the driver tragically became distracted.
I pride myself on being a very careful driver, including teaching my kids that distracting me in the car isn't allowed. But sometimes they still start bickering or asking me to help them or try to show me things, and I have to remind them, and just the act of reminding takes at least part of my mind off of my driving. But even when the kids are silent, sometimes I get lost in my own head for a moment or two, and perhaps something like that happened at the worst possible moment in this case. If course there are so many possibilities---she could have been momentarily blinded, or feeling ill, or following a GPS system a bit too mindlessly, etc. It's terribly sad, whatever happened.The beauty of the flashing lights & gates, is, of course, that they are much harder to miss, even if the driver is distracted by anything. So I can see why people are asking that more crossings have the lights & gates. I just question reports that make it seem that it either wasn't marked at all or that the signs were hidden, because the current photos just show a very open, clear intersection with very clear signs.
