![]() Two of the injured passengers remained hospitalized. The sixth deceased victim had not yet been identified as of early Wednesday evening. On Friday, Lee likely didn't see the truck coming because it approached from the other side of the train, Rice said.Īlso killed Friday were the truck driver, 43-year-old Lawrence Valli, and train passengers Francis Knox, 58 her granddaughter, Karly, 18 both of Seward, Neb. In September, Lee was sitting in the same seat she sat in during Friday's crash, and braced herself as she watched the truck approach, Rice said. With a speed limit of 70 mph on the road and a lot of truck traffic between Interstate 80 and Fallon, it was only a matter of time before a major crash would occur, he said.Īmong the people killed in Friday's crash was Amtrak conductor Laurette Lee, 68, who had been with the company for more than 20 years. The tower did not break the train windows, however, and no one was injured, Rice said.īut the near-miss at that railroad crossing is a common occurrence, Rice said. The truck knocked down the overhead towers at the crossing and slightly damaged three passenger cars. "He saved everybody when he went off the highway and into the dirt." "He had the sun in his eyes and when he realized what was going to happen, it was almost too late," Rice said of driver. Rice hit the train's emergency brakes, he recalled Wednesday, and braced for a collision he knew would likely kill many people.īut instead of smashing into the passenger cars - as happened in last Friday's crash that killed six and injured dozens of passengers - the truck's driver was able to steer to the right and instead plowed into a guardrail that ran next to the tracks. 95 when he looked up to see the driver of a semi pulling a flatbed loaded with blue pipes slamming on his brakes as he headed straight toward the crossing. The Nevada Highway Patrol responded to the September crash, and cited David Leroy Fyfe, 56, of Shelley, Idaho, the driver of the 2005 Kenworth truck, for "failure to use due care."Įarly that September morning, Rice, an Amtrak engineer for 40 years, was approaching the railroad crossing on U.S. The crossing has gates and red lights with bells.įederal regulations require all railroads companies to report in writing within 30 days all "events" that occur between trains and vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles or pedestrian at a highway-rail grade crossing, according to the Federal Register.Īn Amtrak spokeswoman did not immediately respond with comment. ![]() Statistics provided by the agency showed that no accidents or incidents had been reported at that intersection during the last 20 years. "It is premature to make a determination at this time regarding the accuracy of reported accidents," he added. "FRA routinely examines accident/incident history and reporting as part of its routine oversight of railroad regulatory compliance, and we are looking into the information provided." "Ensuring the safety of railroads is a top priority for the Federal Railroad Administration," Flatau wrote in an email. Warren Flatau, spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates highway-rail grade crossing safety, said his agency was not aware of the September incident. The large white X painted on the road just before the crossing is useless and difficult to see, he said, especially in winter when there's snow on the ground. Officials also might recommend adding flashing warning lights farther back from the crossing that would let drivers know they're approaching a rail crossing, Rice said. 95), maybe to 40 mph near the tracks (instead of the current 70 mph)." "But they're thinking of slowing the traffic down (on U.S. "They haven't made any final decisions," Rice said. Officials with the NTSB could not be reached Wednesday, but have said it could take a year to release a full report on the crash. He said he spoke this week with a National Transportation Safety Board official in the area investigating Friday's crash, which killed six people, and was told that investigators will likely recommend changes on U.S. "It's one of the bad ones," he said Wednesday of the intersection. 14, 2010, said it was one of four or five close calls he experiences every year at that U.S. Jack Rice, an Amtrak engineer piloting the train heading west at 7 a.m.
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