Two killed, several injured in Amtrak vs. semi truck wreck

reply to post by SourGrapes

I would ask that you go down there and try.
I look forward to your information. Good Luck.

reply to post by IPILYA

The highest casualty report I've seen is 5, and a few dozen injuries. If there were 200+ people on the train and only 1 car was destroyed and 2 cars damaged it seems unlikely 100+ casualties. Hopefully no more than 5 are killed.

I'm really confused though on how the car even exploded ... unless it was the truck that exploded?

reply to post by IPILYA


Here is the latest info.... www.rgj.com...
It confirms my post on the long skid marks as it states...

Update at 9 a.m. Sunday: Two truck drivers and a train engineer watched helplessly as a semitrailer skidded the length of a football field before it smashed through crossing gates and into two double-decker cars of an Amtrak train at a highway crossing, killing at least six people.

And it confirms the fact that there are missing but the number has dropped to 28...

Weener said 28 people were unaccounted for in the crash, but that the figure was “spongy” because some passengers may have gotten off the train before the crash or walked away from the scene without checking with officials.

Here is another source to the new info...
www.sfgate.com.../c/a/2011/06/25/MN9T1K2PVL.DTL
this one confirms my statement that he was hauling empty...

The investigators from NTSB combed through the charred wreckage, trying to determine why a semi-tractor trailer hauling empty gravel containers hurtled through the wooden safety gates and flashing lights at the remote highway crossing.

It also confirms my statement that they used helicopters to transport wounded...

More than 80 people were taken to hospitals in Reno and the surrounding area, some in helicopters, authorities said.

And it confirms that wounded were taken to Fallons hospital...

Another 76 people were treated at Banner Churchill Community Hospital in Fallon, about 63 miles east of Reno, hospital spokeswoman Amiee Fulk said. All but one had been released by Saturday.

APNewsBreak:Truck co. in train wreck had citations www.chron.com...

SPARKS, Nev. — A Nevada trucking company under scrutiny for a fiery crash with an Amtrak train that left at least six dead has been cited repeatedly by state authorities for crashes, unsafe driving and operating a truck with tires so bald the vehicle had to be taken off the road.

It ends...

Allen said it is not unusual for state public safety officials doing spot roadside inspections to take trucks out of service for unsafe driving practices of discrepancies in travel logs. He said he wasn't familiar with the trucking company's record but said that "having just a couple of tickets, I don't think is an alarming issue."

reply to post by IPILYA


Now, I realize that with the skid marks and eye witnesses testimony, it was the driver of the truck or the truck itself( I do not wish to speculate which) that caused this accident, but it still sits off with me that the explosion was so big and that the investigation became quiet in the press. It was a passenger car that was hit and exploded. I also know that there is a storage compartment, accessible from the outside, under the seating area of the first layer of the passenger cars. So it became obvious to me that Amtrak might "Sell Space" for transporting goods.
I then did a search into their financial status to see if this might be a possibility. This is what I found...

Amtrak ‘misled’ Congress on finances
Rail service was on brink of bankruptcy

Source: www.washingtontimes.com...

When Amtrak assured Congress it was on a “glide path” to free itself of federal subsidies early last decade, a handful of top executives secretly had reason to know better. In fact, the rail service was on the verge of bankruptcy.

________________________________________________________________________________________

According to a report issued by the government in June, Amtrak is in its worst financial shape ever.
The national passenger railroad is carrying debt topping $3 billion, and it lost $944 million last year alone, despite a growing ridership of 22.5 million passengers.

Source: www.siouxcityjournal.com...

So it makes sense to me that they would try to make as much money as possible by selling space.

I decided to find out who owns Amtrak. This is what I found...

Amtrak: The Federal Government’s Own Corporate Financial Scandal By Barrett Kalellis | Aug. 5, 2002

Source: www.mackinac.org...

Created by an act of Congress in October 1970, Amtrak started as a federally chartered corporation authorized to operate virtually all intercity passenger routes in the United States. It was supposed to reverse over two decades of continuous operating deficits incurred by privately run passenger railroads. At the time, promising to be a profit-making enterprise, it was given $40 million in initial funding, along with $100 million in loan guarantees.

Created by Congress in 1970, Amtrak is an independently run corporation. Its preferred stock is owned by the U.S. government.

Source:www.antonnews.com...

To support the status quo, Amtrak president and CEO Joseph Boardman asked Congress in April 2011 for $2.2 billion in the next fiscal year to fund Amtrak’s operations.

The Government still owns Amtrak and it is costing Tax payers in hefty amounts.

So if the Government owns Amtrak and a Government agency (NTSB) closed information to the accident and moved the press to a mile away and is not openly discussing the cause of such a large explosion it makes me wonder, What was stored below the car and was it private of Government owned?

Originally posted by granpabobby
reply to post by IPILYA

 

I reported this to my local news ..we will see if they bother to check it out

Here it is a few days later and my local news finaly reported it..I called them two hours after it happened..They missed the scoop because they didnt check it out
normal for them tho

reply to post by granpabobby


Are they saying anything not already in the thread?

reply to post by IPILYA

Jun 26, 2011 – The Mercyhurst team(A forensic anthropology team from Mercyhurst College) left from Erie International Airport on Sunday morning.

Source: www.ktvn.com...

Dirkmaat's team recently created recovery protocols for human remains through research funded by the National Institute of Justice. Dirkmaat expects to use the new procedures in Nevada.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Freight shipments have resumed on the Union Pacific Railroad’s main line across Nevada into Northern California as a federal-state investigation continued Sunday into the fiery big rig-Amtrak collision outside Reno that left at least six people dead and 28 others unaccounted for.

The death toll from Friday’s crash “may go up; we’re waiting for some forensic anthropologists to come in to really go over the affected cars.

Source: www.marketwatch.com...

The train’s conductor, Laurette Lee, 68, was among those who died in the crash.

didn't this happen on super 8 movie?

reply to post by IPILYA

5 people still missing from tragic Amtrak crash; semi truck slammed into train in Nevada on Friday

Source: www.nydailynews.com... =news/national

Five people were still missing three days after a horrific crash between a tractor-trailer and an Amtrak train in the Nevada desert that killed six, authorities said.

Coroner officials and a forensic anthropologist sifted through the charred rubble of two train cars that exploded into flames after a truck slammed into them on Friday.

No additional victims were found, and the search was set to continue on Monday.

They are still not addressing: "there was a big bang and an explosion and an unbelievable amount of fire went by the window," Rheault told the Reno Gazette-Journal."
"And then a wall of fire went by the window," he said. "I could feel the heat instantly."
Alex Graham, 18, of Fort Wayne, Ind.
Source: www.newsnet5.com...

Originally posted by John_Rodger_Cornman
didn't this happen on super 8 movie?

A truck hitting a train has been in many movies through time. As for Super 8, I don't remember, I'll have to watch it again. However, with the evidence of the eye witnesses and the 320 feet of skid marks the impact was unintentional.

In a standard coach car as is used by Amtrak (ie: superliners), I am unaware of any cargo or storage space accessible from the outside. Occasionally the passenger seats on the lower level have been removed and the space is used as additional baggage space, but the only cars I am aware of having storage space accessible from the outside are the baggage cars and the priority freight cars.Priority freight cars look just like regular box cars, and can not be confused with coach cars.

The lower space on a coach is filled with bathrooms, usually a changing room, and a section of seating for handicapped and older passengers. This compartment is accessed from inside the coach. There are also sleeper cars, a dining car, and possibly an observation/lounge car on many Amtrak trains. Looking at the pictures I don't believe any of these cars were in the crash. I am not aware of any place inside or outside of a coach car that would be able to hold enough hazardous cargo to cause the reported fireball.

On the lower level of a coach car there is also a compartment for the electrical distribution system, and the environment control equipment. There is high voltage present as well as compressors which generate a lot of heat. If fuel from the semi was injected into this compartment I would imagine it would flash into a fireball.

But we will have to see what the NTSB finding says. This could take a while.

reply to post by Montana


Thank you for your input it is appreciated.
They say it can take up to a year to complete the investigation.

reply to post by IPILYA

Some Say Islamic Terrorism The Culprit: Fatal Train Crash In Nevada Desert Sparks Controversy (Youtube)

Source: www.conservativerefocus.com... outube

This is getting ridiculous. Pure fear mongering to the 10th degree. No where in the article does it say anything the title states. No where in the video does it say anything the title states. No where else on the net does it say anything the title states. The evidence so far doesn't even come close to what the title states.
Barry Secrest, the writer of this article, needs to stop. His questions are valid, but for someone who writes articles regularly, he needs to stop the fear mongering. His title does nothing but stir the pot that doesn't need stirred. In his bio here... www.conservativerefocus.com...
It states...

Barry Secrest, chief political writer for the highly successful website, Conservative Refocus, has produced more than 100 original articles since launching the site in late August, 2009. Addressing timely issues from a Conservative viewpoint, each article is well-researched, thoroughly documented, and crafted with keen observations, bold insights and opinions, and a trademark caustic humor delivered through the power of Barry’s unique voice.

Well-researched and thoroughly documented my A**.

reply to post by IPILYA

Investigators piece together Nevada Amtrak crash

Source: www.bellinghamherald.com...

The list of dead begins...
Conductor Laurette Lee, 68, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., truck driver Lawrence R. Valli, 43, of Winnemuca, The Nevada Highway Patrol on Monday released the names of two passengers who were killed - 58-year-old Francis Knox and her 18-year-old granddaughter, Karly Knox, of Seward, Neb.

Down to 4 missing.
Source: www.kolotv.com...

Apparently, Barry Secrest and/or www.conservativerefocus.com has issues with me linking to the article and his bio. They say 403 spam.

reply to post by IPILYA


Down to two missing. Drivers cell phone found, sent to D.C. to see if it was a distraction.
Source: www.foxnews.com...

Expanded: Conductor Laurette Lee who was killed in train crash had appeared in documentary film (with video)

Source: www.rgj.com... =nav|head

Amtrak train crash: Only one passenger now unaccounted for

Source: www.rgj.com...

Update at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday: Amtrak officials now say that only one passenger who was ticketed on the train that was hit by a semi-tractor trailer last Friday is unaccounted for.

Marc Magliari, an Amtrak spokesman, also said they have new figures for the number of passengers on the train at the time of the crash. Originally they said 204 passengers were on the train. They've reset the count at 195.

The victims of this accident are being addressed as information comes in, but there are no reports or information being released as to the explosion and why it was so large. I will keep looking and post what I find.

As for the number of people who were on the train, I think it strange that so many people registered for the "ride" and didn't get on or got off at different stops. The article above states that the original count of passengers was 204 when in actuality it was 215, I will keep looking into this as well. Thank goodness the death toll is much smaller than first thought. They are in my prayers. I will also post the other two(maybe 3) names of the dead as they are released.

Utahn died in Amtrak crash; lawsuit filed by attendant

Source: www.deseretnews.com...

RENO, Nev. — A Utahn was among the six people killed when a semi truck crashed into an Amtrak passenger train about 70 miles east of here Friday.

Nevada Department of Public Safety-Highway Patrol Division said Tuesday that the Washoe County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office has identified the victim as 34-year-old Cheuy Ong, of West Jordan, Utah.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that an Amtrak train attendant has filed the first lawsuit over the crash.

Of the nine most seriously injured people aboard the train, one remained in serious condition and another in fair condition Tuesday at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno. Seven others have been discharged.

Source: www.forbes.com...

To the dead....
Conductor Laurette Lee, 68, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif.,
Truck driver Lawrence R. Valli, 43, of Winnemuca, Nv.
Passengers
Francis Knox, 58, of Seward, Neb.
Karly Knox, 18, of Seward, Neb.
Cheuy Ong, 34, of West Jordan, Utah (no photo as of yet)

Back to the explosion...

Having been a mechanic for over 30 years, I have yet to see diesel ignite without a heat and ignition source. Not to say it couldn't happen, but in this case, there doesn't appear to have been those circumstances. Again, I'm hoping witnesses can shed more light on it.

Source: www.patriotactionnetwork.com...

Passengers in the car hit said there was what amounted to a sheet of fire upon impact. That car was destroyed, and the following car heavily damaged. It should be noted that those cars do not have anything that would cause a firey explosion on impact, nor would the truck, a diesel. Diesel fuel will not explode in a sheet of flames, it must be heated to ignition point for that to happen.

Lawrence R. Valli's drivers record...

Good pictures of the crash site and rescue...www.rgj.com...
Passenger eye witness(Johnny Spelta) account video... www.ksl.com...

John Davis Trucking Co. in Battle Mountain, Nev. states...

The company issued a statement, saying it wished to express "deepest condolences and sincerest sympathies to the family members and friends of those who lost their loved ones in the tragic accident of Friday, June 24. ... Please know that we recognize our moral and social obligation to find out how this accident happened, and we intend to cooperate with the authorities in their investigation."

Source: www.truckinginfo.com...