Video: Amtrak v. speeding teenagers

[jamesontheroad]

The following news report was published on Thursday, reporting that police have closed their investigation into another fatal accident between a car and an Amtrak train, this time in Wayne County, Detroit.

In this instance the teenaged driver and four of his friends were killed when he swerved round another vehicle that had halted at a half-barriered level crossing and continued into the path of the train.

The link below includes embedded video from the train's on-board camera, released under a freedom of information request. Nothing graphic is seen, but you'll witness the accident, and more importantly the distance required to bring the train (a P42 locomotive leading a rake of Horizon coaches) to a halt. The look of helplessness in the face and stature of the train's conductor, who's visible a short while after the train comes to a halt, tells you everything you could want to know.


http://www.detnews.com/article/20090827/METRO01/908270484/Police-end-inquiry-into-train/car-crash

Police end inquiry into fatal Canton train-car crash
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Valerie Olander / The Detroit News

Canton Township -- Police have completed the investigation into the July 9 fatal crash involving five young people killed in a Ford Fusion that was speeding along Hannan Road, north of Van Born, where the driver tried to beat an Amtrak passenger train. All five were killed instantly.

The conclusion tells a similar story as to what investigators knew at the time of the crash.

"It was tragically poor judgment," said Sgt. James Harrison of the Canton Police Department.

The driver of the Ford Fusion, Daniel Broughton of Woodhaven, was traveling northbound on Hannan Road from Van Born, at a speed of approximately 70 mph and as the car he was driving approached the rail road tracks, Broughton slowed down to approximately 25 mph, police concluded.

Police said the speed limit for cars in that area is between 40-45 mph. The train crossing's safety arm was lowered, and its alarms and sirens were flashing at the time, witnesses said.

Broughton crossed into the southbound lane of Hannan Road to pass a vehicle stopped on northbound Hannan. He then disregarded the flashing lights and gates at the railroad crossing, and drove his black Ford Fusion directly into the path of the westbound Amtrak train, police said.

continues...

For the eagle-eyed, that's an American model Ford Fusion, a mid-size sedan, not the European compact MPV.






Images: detnews.com

 

[Aussie_Rail]

Bloody hell! That thing must have took about 200-300meters to stop! You are right about the conductor though, must have a been a hard thing to look at like that.

 

[Ferret]

Maybe this footage should be used to ram home the message about the dangers of level crossings.

Yet another idiot removing himself from the gene pool in the silliest way. Too bad he took 4 more young people with him...