We had a dump truck-train crash that is stirring a good bit of debate on the subject of safety and responsibility. Below are “bullet points” of interesting, sometimes-conflicting statements regarding responsibilities. (See wiki link below)
-This crash occurred on a no-lights, no-gates county gravel road. The road isn’t busy, but neither is it “dead/abandoned”.
-The dump truck driver probably did a poor job looking. The tracks were somewhat tree-lined; however, they met visibility standards.
-All indications were that the train was properly lighted and blowing it’s horn according to TCOM, QRH, Memory checklist procedures.
-Counter argument, most trains aren’t going 90 MPH.
-Train car collisions happen every day- it seems rather predictable that 90 MPH trains and an un-gated crossing on a somewhat busy road is a formula for a crash.
-Of fascinating prophetic value is a nearby resident made a comment that his crossing was “an accident waiting to happen”, and the crossing was identified as hazardous a few years ago. Yet the trains continued to pass the area at "full speed".
-The railroad takes $ from customers and sends them flying down the track, with the expectation they will be safely delivered to their destination.
-The railroad claims that the train tracks were there first and it’s the county’s responsibility to pay for gates & lights. Apparently, there is much legal precedence for this.
-There’s some parallels and deviations from how we see safety/responsibility in the aviation world.
Thoughts?
2022 Missouri train derailment - Wikipedia
-This crash occurred on a no-lights, no-gates county gravel road. The road isn’t busy, but neither is it “dead/abandoned”.
-The dump truck driver probably did a poor job looking. The tracks were somewhat tree-lined; however, they met visibility standards.
-All indications were that the train was properly lighted and blowing it’s horn according to TCOM, QRH, Memory checklist procedures.
-Counter argument, most trains aren’t going 90 MPH.
-Train car collisions happen every day- it seems rather predictable that 90 MPH trains and an un-gated crossing on a somewhat busy road is a formula for a crash.
-Of fascinating prophetic value is a nearby resident made a comment that his crossing was “an accident waiting to happen”, and the crossing was identified as hazardous a few years ago. Yet the trains continued to pass the area at "full speed".
-The railroad takes $ from customers and sends them flying down the track, with the expectation they will be safely delivered to their destination.
-The railroad claims that the train tracks were there first and it’s the county’s responsibility to pay for gates & lights. Apparently, there is much legal precedence for this.
-There’s some parallels and deviations from how we see safety/responsibility in the aviation world.
Thoughts?
2022 Missouri train derailment - Wikipedia
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