Close Call... Train Almost Strikes Vehicle Stuck On Tracks

4/28/07 - As a tow company attempts to remove a vehicle that crashed onto BNSF train tracks, an oncoming train rounds the bend. The train comes just a few hundred feet away from the vehicle.

Our dispatch had contacted BNSF, but somehow the message did not get to the train crew. The train was only going 28mph in a 45mph speed zone... which would explain the stop as quick as it was. Trains usually do the full 45mph in that stretch of tracks.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• rolla
• city
• fire
• train
• bnsf
• crash
• close
• call
• mva
• car
• stuck
• on
• tracks
• collision
• rpd

[papabugs71]

I see. & someone just happened to have a camera to get it all on tape. How convenient.

My father was with the Oklahoma Hghway Patrol for 30 years & I have been with the railroad for nearly 10 years. This is not how it works, but if you say the call was made, well, then I guess it was made.

[djm448]

Yes, I was the cameraman. I was on the scene taking photos of the accident scene, and when we heard the train horn at a local crossing... i switched over to MOVIE mode on the camera to get footage of the collision. Want to see the other photos? I'd be more than glad to send em to you. About 20 minutes or so went by from time of page to train incident... i would hope you would trust us in notifying railroad on an incident like this...

[papabugs71]

You can rest assured your dispatch did not call BNSF. This type of situation is considered a priority emergency. The moment you told BNSF your location, they would have been on the horn with the appropriate dispatcher. In turn, the dispatcher would have told all trains in the vicinity to stop immediately untill further instructed. I do this for a living & this kind of thing doesn't happen. It just doesn't. Thank god the crew was paying attention & had time to plug it.

[djm448]

and you can be rest assured that I as well as the supervisor on duty at the time with the police dept listened to the phone call that was placed to BNSF's emergency hotline.... the call WAS placed.

[purpleroses00]

Why is it hung up on the tracks for no apparent reason and out of sight of any crossing? Simple. Woman driver.

[Pupille00X]

NOW THAT WAS CLOSE !

[AndyJay15]

Lucky the train was travelling slow. If it was doing 45 then it most likely would have hit it.

[sqhschief]

@djm448 Send them to me.

[sqhschief]

@MicraHakkinen Ah, you're right.

[MicraHakkinen]

@sqhschief No, exponentially. Stopping distance increases exponentially with speed.

[sqhschief]

@Pellaz2112 Linearly not exponentially.

[kev8338]

what was the car doing so far from the road anyways?

[gebass6]

@TheDiscoZombie No.It was not going that fast to begin with.If a slow train hits the brakes it will NOT take a "mile" to stop.It's the same with a car.the faster it goes,the longer it takes to stop.The slower,the quicker it can stop.You should KNOW this.

[Pellaz2112]

@tetrisking92 Indeed. You might have better luck using a micrometer.

The reason why it's a close call is because the train was -- luckily! -- doing about 28 mph around that corner instead of track speed (45 mph). If he'd been moving at track speed, there's a really good chance he'd have plowed into that car. The difficulty of stopping a heavy freight goes up exponentially with increasing speed.

Go back to playing Tetris, kid.