Rescue 911-Episode 116 "Amtrak" (Part 2)

[jposh707]

The one lady says she won't fly or ride a train any more...only take the car. Um, hel-lo! Talk about being irrational. You're statistically much more likely to be hurt or killed in a CAR!

[epcdaniel]

@jposh707 It's the fear and anxiety that prevents her from taking the train or flying. Statistics have nothing to do with it.

[jposh707]

Wow, they just left poor Fred to die there all alone. Nice... And the guy says "Um, basically everyone who was alive when we got there, died later." Al-righty then! Maybe you guys should look for a new line of work!

[SpecializedChild462]

@jposh707 i would have risked my entire life to save him!

[clinthudson1226]

''i don't ride the train anymore i now fly'' it wasn't amtraks fault. it was con rails so blame them

[Snoep76239]

Damn, too bad firemen don't have a Chuck Norris can opener.

That big steel of trains makes the Jaws of Life look like Tinker Toys...

[dodgedip123]

why did they have to evacuate! so the rail car shifted a little! i fell so sorry for Fred!

[arnicaherb]

See? People aren't born with sin! They have basic goodness inside them!

[TAMR213]

Living next to the NEC in NJ, and being a lifelong railfan because of it, this tragic event really sticks out. There is a thorough discussion of this derailment located at this link: railroad.net / forums / viewtopic . php?f=46&t=69752 (take the spaces out from the / and the . )

[MyPinky2003]

Why the hell would someone talk about a severed head?! That is very disturbing and intense! Jesus!

[Optimusprime543ify]

HOLY SHIT!! picked up someone's severed head!

[super58173]

There was a point were I took trains everyday, and I still take them every week, I suppose that the fear of crashing must be worked off.

[momof2girls84]

How sad, poor Fred and the others who died.

[ohytr11]

I wonder if the man would have lived if they got him out.

[Ham549]

From Wikipedia:

Prosecutors cut a deal with Cromwell in which he turned "state's evidence" and agreed to testify against Gates. Gates was sentenced to several years in a Maryland prison. Gates' history of DWI (driving while intoxicated) convictions as well as his admission that the crew had been using marijuana while on duty led for a call to certify locomotive engineers as to their qualifications and history.

[davinp]

Today, in MD they have the commuter rail MARC and VA has VRE. VRE had one minor derailment due to a broken rail in Jan 2006. There were only minor injuries. Sometimes I do see CSX trains parked on the track, which block the track from traffic

[instagasm]

omg i use to ride amtrak all the time during that time. how scary,.

[leananshae]

Not your normal episode. Usually the endings are a bit more upbeat and we are left with good feelings for the outcome. This sucked for everyone.

I really think they could've left out the details about the charred disembodied head. For the family members whose loved one that was if for no other reason. It was unnecessary for the telling of the story.

[OneSkiWonder]

@leananshae The severed head helps create a mental picture of how bad the accident was for the people riding. As and EMT, I myself have picked up heads by the hair like that. My crew and I would joke about it, not within earshot of the public and they were crude jokes. But you have to be able to laugh and smile or you will be driven mad. It was very needed in telling the story, people don't realize that there is more then just the view of the wreck that gets stuck in memories.

[sn1pe352]

yea I know many emergency room physicians and Triage Medics that use sick humor like that in order to remain sane, It's very hard and shocking for people who haven't experienced it and most people can judge regardless, but it is true...You HAVE to do that in order to remain sane and I truly have a profound respect for you and other emergency personal. All I ask that you treat everyone you come across as family and always go above and beyond...even if it involves breaking protocol. God Bless you

[leananshae]

@OneSki... yeah, I know what you mean about letting off steam in non-politically correct ways out of earshot of those you help. I used to work in the psychiatric field and we'd joke about the "loonies" when we were alone too. It released the pent-up tension and anxiety that we would otherwise have to keep buried behind the professional facade needed to get our jobs done.

[pierzedntattooed]

@OneSkiWonder True. Yeah it might make sense to pick up a head by the hair, what are you going to do, grab the neck? I would pick the head up by the hair myself. But gladly, I could never stomach anything like that as a career for any type of money. Phew I don't know how people do it.

[OneSkiWonder]

@pierzedntattooed I have an emotion blocker that I have set up. When I go on calls, I think of my work and force my emotions to stay at bay. If I let my emotions flood over me, I'd be useless on scene. We EMT's have a rather crude and sick sense of humor. We need to stay smiling and the normal knock knock jokes don't cut it.

[pierzedntattooed]

@leananshae You are absolutly right on that one. Of course there would be bodies that were in pieces, but its not like we wanted to here about them.

[DarkDeathSaurer]

NEVER TAKE LIFE FOR GRANTED. just as these people found out, your who world can change in the blink of an eye, may those who didn't survive rest in peace, may the families and friends that lost loved ones find comfort and peace, and may those that survive be able to live life to the fullest, and be able to shed the scar of that horrible day. Just remember, your life or somebody elses may end just like that, don't do something you will regret, because you may never get the chance to fix it.

[ACLTony]

I worked for a transit system at that time. Not too long after this we immedietly went to Mandatory Drug testing. Although my union was against it, I felt it was good. I fixed transit vehicles and certainly didn't want to be endangered by a coworker who decided to get high the night before.

[MilwaukeeSDman]

They were actually locomotives

[psychodan18]

why were the parked railroad cars doing their in the first place?

[Zebraguy626]

cant even imagine the horror of that day.....whenever i take the NEC amtrak even nowadays i always get the chills when crossing gunpowder and then seeing those homes and thinking or the heroes who risked their lives before the emergency vechiles arrived.

Likely by now millions of trains have passed in their back yard since 1987 but they probably still think of that day as each one roars by at 100+ mph.

[zzzzdreamzzz]

@Zebraguy626 i get the same way when i take the train past there. i was super young when it happened but very aware of what was going on, still makes me sad, BUT it's nice to show ON FILM, that not all ppl from baltimore are jerks lol.

[boeingLL747]

the part with the guy picking the dead charred guy up by the hair gave me the chills

[dieselducy]

Ricky gates was a cum-dumpster that ended 16 lives and made our lives as railroaders miserable..

[vickiormindyb]

As I said: Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. They didn't have formal debriefings in 1987, I guess they made an exception in this case.

[PredatorBrendan]

A tragic story. Those people are still choked up in the interview scenes. I can't imagine what is like to be in a train wreck. Even it affected the rescue workers. I glad a lot of people survived, but not everybody did survive that. Even the new mother can't let go of what happened when she heard the sound of the train and is breaking up about it. I glad neighbors nearby the wreck came to the help the passengers on it. I'm sure hope the survivors are doing fine from it today.

[cwistaff]

I don't know how those paramedics did it. I don't think I would have it in me, as a healthcare professional, to leave someone in dire need of help for my own safety. I can't even imagine the torture the medic must have endure afterwards. Imagine the poor passenger. Inches away from help and suddenly they all back away, and you're left to die.

I shutter to think how much this happened in 9/11 and in the earthquakes overseas.

[guardiangirl777]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Healthcare professionals have to sometimes leave someone in interest of their own safety because, looking at the bigger picture of things, staying may end up making them a casualty patient themselves and now be a new patient to their fellow EMT/Firefighters.

There is even an episode of this on Rescue 911 where the EMT/Firefighters of the Oklahoma City Fire/Rescue Department are doing a group therapy session over the Oklahoma City Bombing remembering the event.

[WickedChess]

stuck in the toilet!! that hada hurt

[mattharden1982]

fuck the toilet i got charles manson's fart on tape

[eabdeb8176]

try acting your age and thinking like you have a higher IQ than your show size.

[silentfades]

I am glad that these folks have found some comfort in debriefing and hope that they concentrate on the help they gave did give life to those that survived with thier assistance

Marc in NYC

[mabmb1987]

Conrail GE B36-7 diesel 5045 exploded and burned. It was completely destroyed down to frame and was never rebuilt. The middle unit, 5052, sustained significant damage but was later rebuilt and returned to service. Lead unit 5044 had little damage.

Amtrak's lead locomotive, AEM-7 900, was buried under the wreckage, while the other locomotive, 903, ended up among some trees on the west side of the right of way. Several Budd Company Amfleet cars were piled up, with some crushed under the pile.

[skiljathegirl]

10 years ago there was amassive crash here in Germany. 101 died in that crash.

[Sadyechester]

I was there and that was so scary!

[ilovenxstage]

I read in a railroad forum that the engineer of the Conrail locomotives who was taking drugs spent a few years in prison, and now he is an anti-drug advocate.

[takkjk]

Holy cow! Have you ever been in a train bathroom?? They are smaller than the smallest shower stall. Talk about claustrophobia!!

[mrsshonio24]

i was 3 when it happened, and we were driving over the bridge over top of the tracks and my mom and stepdad heard the crash, and stopped the car and ran down to help. My great-grandma stayed with me in the car. All i remember is that it was in the local news for many days.

[JacksonvilleFULL]

this makes me very sad i mean people get on that train to visit or go somewhere and 16 people lost their lives i think im goning to cry.

[jmm2000]

This wreck was caused by the train crew of the three freight locomotives, who ran through a red signal and entered a section of track ahead of the Amtrak passenger train. It was later that the freight crew tested positive for drugs.

[BeatleMoe]

I had heard that the crew had tested positive for drugs too.

[lirr56890]

did the t/o died or no.

[OneSkiWonder]

With all due respect, for the most part, a train engine crew hits the throttle and lets it fly, there's no steering, and the only thing they have to do is blow the horn whenever they see a W sign and slow down in some areas and stop when they reach their destination. I'll bet if you tested all the train engine crews in the world for drugs about 75% of them would test positive.

[tjk1976]

F-U Asshat. Apparently you dont realize how many people work to keep you alive.

[OneSkiWonder]

I don't see how that has anything to do with my comment. So go fuck yourself. I work to keep others alive, it's my job. Let me know your name and send me a pic of you and I'll be sure to just let you slip away.

[trainlord11]

When this was taken I hope your saying. Nowdays I bet not even 2% of all railroad crews would test positive because of all the drug tests that the railroad has them take.

[jakesaintsrow123]

AWSOME!!! i cant thank you and other people who upload these enough!! i LOVED this show and i would do almost anything to have it aired back on TV today!!! thanks a million !!!

[colfamatt]

@BeatleMoe damn that's so mother fuckin sad

[grizzleybearz282004]

@BeatleMoe that crew should be made to sit down and have to look at every family member that was loss before & after the crash before getting life in jail

[pierzedntattooed]

@jmm2000 where did you get this info?

[jmm2000]

@pierzedntattooed From news info like Dateline, 20/20, and from Reader's Digest back in 1990. This lead to madatory drug testing across the country on railroad employees.

[epcdaniel]

@jmm2000 The crew of the Conrail locomotives tested positive for Marijuana, except for the engineer, one of the fatal casualties.

[davinp]

their is an issue whether it's safe to ride in cab cars because if they get hit or hit something they could derail first as we saw in the California derailment when a man parked his truck on the train tracks on Jan. 26, 2005

[srubi74]

It seems like it is usually safest to ride in the back when it comes to trains, because when they derail, the front cars are the first to derail and the ones in the back may stay on the track. I know that alot of people say the rear of a plane is the safest place in case of a crash, although I'm not sure why that is.

[jcnme27]

Ok...this one made me well up!

[gregorkrause]

the "Footage taped on January, 4 1987" was definitely experimented with because the letters seemed shiny mettalic looking and alot of season ones are the best because alot of them had experiments, like 101-102-107.

[BeatleMoe]

I did the experimenting with my capture program. I only did that on the segments where I have to split them up.

[gregorkrause]

what's the capture program and how does it work?

[lirr56890]

whould those people ride amtrak agian.

[mabmb1987]

Conrail GE B36-7 diesel 5045 exploded and burned. It was completely destroyed down to frame and was never rebuilt. The middle unit, 5052, sustained significant damage but was later rebuilt and returned to service. Lead unit 5044 had little damage.

Amtrak's lead locomotive, AEM-7 900, was buried under the wreckage, while the other locomotive, 903, ended up among some trees on the west side of the right of way. Several Budd Company Amfleet cars were piled up, with some crushed under the pile.

[railwayking2001]

The CR Engineer responsable for this accident was Ricky.Gates.He was sentanced to 3 years in jail for manslaughter.Gates resigned from CR.He ran a red signal at POW Interlocking.He was also tested positive for smoking Marijuana.This accident caused CR and the FRA to start assigning Engineers License and random drug testing for all opperating crews.

[OneSkiWonder]

I thought the reason this accident happened was because there were train cars parked on the track that weren't supposed to be there.

[ACLTony]

Wasn't parked cars......it was a batch of Conrail locomotives that were at an improper spot on the route that intersected with the line that the Amtrak Colonial was running on.