Train Derailment in Rockford, IL 6/19/09 Mulford Road

Eyewitness video on scene at train derailment taken at 8:50 PM on 6/19/09. This video was taken on Mulford Rd. just south of the tracks within 20 minutes of the accident.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• train
• derailment
• rockford
• news
• illinois
• catastrophe
• mulford
• road
• rd.
• explosion
• freight
• ethanol

[shicoe30]

this doesn't make sense. I've seen the video of the dashcam that clearly shows the washed out tracks. Nearly every rail crossing, especially one with functioning lights and gates has an emergency hotline posted on it. Not 911, but a hotline to the railroad itself, why no one called to report it is beyond me. Even if they didn't give specifics, just said, the tracks are washed out here, the railroad would've been able to contact the train.

[rockfordnews]

@shicoe30 I don't believe there was a number listed on this particular crossing. Either way, the first person to stop at this scene before it happened was a cop. It had already been called into 911 at that point. Why they did not stop traffic from approaching the crossing we will probably never know. It was literally an accident waiting to happen.

[K9LLL]

Does anyone know the voice of the man in the video it sounds like a man i know Mr. Leonard. If anyone knows please let me know

[rockfordnews]

Nope... That's not the name of the man in the video. Sorry.

[stevekatkus]

this is just ridiculous the police even have a dashcam video reported by the local police department that was released by the NTSB

the police dept were well aware of dangerous issue with the washed out track. What ever happened with all our taxpayers money into nationwide "public safety radio interoperability"

[ffjsb]

@kmkalusa I sure didn't see any facts put out by your organization, so we're left with nothing but what the media says to go by. BTW, the are ways to stop a train if you know how. But I won't put that info out to the general population.

[kmkalusa]

@ffjsb well maybe you should get all the facts before you go spouting off about something you no nothing off.....piece of advice---never believe everything you read, especialy when it comes from the press,they tended to glamourize or warp the issue at hand in order to sell papers

[ffjsb]

@kmkalusa My response was to Rockfordnews' post, apparently he/she doesn't know what they are talking about. If they are the local news and they can't get the story right it's not my fault for coming to the conclusion that I did. BTW, I teach a railroad emergencies class.

[kmkalusa]

@pacirr ....thank you pacirr at least you did some reading and research on the incident before posting a comment...it was a tragic accident that no one could have forseen..being as i am a dispatcher in the area, everything was done that could possibly have been done at the time

[kmkalusa]

@ffjsb apparently you don't know what you are talking about...i just happen to be one of those "dispatchers" your trashing and i take offense to your statement!! if you think you can do better i invite you to become a police officer or dispatcher!!

[ffjsb]

@rockfordnews Poor training of the police and dispatchers. They should know who owns which rail lines and the emergency contact numbers. All the class 1 railroads have 1-800 numbers, which are generally posted on every road crossing and control box on their lines. The police failed to do their jobs in this case.

[NewYorkSkateboarding]

Only in Rockford...