Posted on 11/27/2006 7:39:08 PM PST by Onelifetogive
A Chelsea High School freshman died today in an accident involving a train and an SUV that injured five other students, authorities said.
Chelsea High School Principal Pat Grey said the girl killed was a 15-year-old member of the school’s dance team. State troopers and the county coroner identified the victim as Hannah Yeager.
Five others, a girl and four boys, all sophomores, were injured. Victims were taken to UAB Hospital and at least one to Children’s. Officials did not release their conditions, but officials they were expected to recover.
“This is a tragic loss for our school and students,” Grey said.
The wreck happened on Shelby County 377, which runs between Shelby County 11 and Old U.S. 280, State Trooper Sgt. Tim Sartain said. The SUV was left on its side near the tracks.
Jane Covington, a CSX spokeswoman, said the incident involved a southbound CSX train that was en route from Birmingham to Atlanta, with five engines and 23 cars loaded with freight. Covington said the accident was reported to them at 4:22 p.m. The tracks were reopened by 8:20 p.m., she said.
Exactly how the accident happened remained under investigation Monday night, Covington said.
“Certainly at this point, our hearts and prayers go out to the families of the people involved in this incident,” she said.
The track speed limit where the accident happened was 40 mph, Covington said.
The downloading of a device similar to a “black box” from the train’s locomotive will “tell us how fast the train was going and other vital statistics about the locomotive at the time of the collision,” she said.
Both the Federal Railroad Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified of the incident, Covington said.
...and trains.
Uggh. Car/ train incidents are never pretty. Being 'yutes', I wonder if they tried to go around the stop-arm. I did that (and many other stupid things) at that age. What an ugly tragedy.
Girl was ejected from the SUV.
She was sitting on the lap of another passenger. (Clearly, not wearing a seat belt.)
Rural crossing, no crossing gate.
SUV was trying to "beat the train."
See post 5.
Kind of like car chases. They don't make it.
We used to have a lot of car/train collisions in Chicago and suburbs that, I think, we're largely due to people (usually from out of state) that failed to realize just how fast some of those commuter trains go.
Or how damn big they are. They ain't HO scale in real life.
Sad story. Prayers for the family.
I remember in my youth liking to be near the tracks when trains came by. There's nothing quite so big, loud and overwhelming as a locomotive up close. Awesome.
A railroad enthusiast friend told me that the railroad through my little home town was "high iron" and maintained for higher speeds because it was part of the Illinois Central's "backbone".
You and me both. I love the sound of those big diesels...making it look like pulling a few hundred loaded railroad cars is child's play.
I played on the tracks. Sometimes I would sit on the ground and watch the wheels go by, looking to see what was on the other side. Very scary thinking about it now.
I hopped them as a kid. Stupid, very stupid. They are big.
I almost bought it at one of those crossings (without the crossing-arm-thing) on a KX-250 when I was 16, it was very close. I'd just upgraded from a 125, and if I'd still had the slower 125, I probably wouldn't be sitting here posting this right now.
How fast do they go now, anyway? I was always under the impression they were going 50 or so, but never knew a definite speed.
I was 8 or 9. There was a rumor that some guy got ran over and they didn't find one of his toes. I walked the track looking for that toe. Why, I have no idea:').
I think they have definite speed limits for sections of their tracks depending on location and condition of the tracks.
The commuter trains in Chicago probably seem to be going faster than they really are because automobile traffic in the area would be lucky to get up to 35 mph and the trains are doing nearly double that speed.
As a teen, we used to go into the middle of a RR tunnel that was about a mile long and wait for a train to come. The tunnel was pitch black and there were recesses in the wall you could could stand in and when the train passed, it was probably 2-3 feet away from your nose.
Two sensations gripped you beside the fact that you could not even see the train.
1. The rush of wind past your face.
2. The loudest noise you ever heard and you thought it would never end.
And the whole time, you were worried about the railroad detectives catching you and taking you home to you parents and telling them what an idiot child they raised. ;~)
The trains in Chicago are so loud the sound alone probably adds to the illusion of speed. The commuter trains here in Minneapolis are whisper-quiet, and that has caused quite a few accidents. I think they should put up loudspeakers that make freight-train sounds near the crossings when one is approaching.
I remember nights out on High Bridge in KY, about 300 feet over the KY river. When a train is approaching, you first hear faint noises in the bridge itself, maybe from the rails. Soon you hear it. Then the light begins to show off around the curve. You're on a steel walkway next to two tracks. Is the train on your side or the other? By the time it comes around the curve, you know. Then you have to ask yourself, should I try to get on the other side or just ride it out? It is safer to stay where you are. Even with the locomotive going by just a couple of feet from your face, it's not smart to try crossing once the train is on the bridge. A fact discovered to great dismay by some yutes who tried to cross and failed. Since then, the bridge is off limits to trainheads. I once dragged a sleeping bag out there and slept (not really slept) on the walkway. Man, you will get your fill of train adrenaline out there I guarantee.
It appears that one of the FR chromosomes either sought out trains or was warped by trains at an early stage :)
Well damn near got "warped" real good, but it seemed like good cheep fun at the time.
Looking back, I wonder what the hell was I thinking. (At 16, not much, I guess.)
Driver of SUV may have tried to outrun train, Shelby County official says
The driver of an SUV that collided with a freight train Monday afternoon could have been trying to outrun the train, Shelby County Coroner Doug Ballard said.
The wreck, which occurred on Shelby County 377 in Chelsea, killed Chelsea High ninth-grader Hannah Yeager, 15, and injured five other students.
The students were less than a mile from the school when the wreck occurred.
Ballard said based on the impact of the vehicle it appears the driver was trying to outrun the train. “We don’t know, but that’s the way it looks. That’s what my chief deputy coroner told me,” he said.
Ballard said it’s still unknown who was driving the 4Runner.
Three of the passengers remained in the hospital Tuesday, with two others released after receiving treatment.
Joshua Ankesheiln, 15, who was taken by Lifesaver helicopter, and Payton Hallmark, 15, were listed in good condition at UAB Hospital, spokesman Hank Black said.
Jacob Birdsong 15, was listed in fair condition at Children’s Hospital, spokesman Adam Kelley said.
Morgan Williamson, 16; and Krista Vick, 15, were treated and released from UAB, Black said.
The flag at Chelsea High School flew at half mast Tuesday, and school officials said “several hundred” sought grief counseling from school counselors, local pastors and counselors brought in from Amelia House.
Flowers were placed near the railroad crossing where the wreck occurred.
That is not anywhere near the truth.
I was in the car and we were not trying to race the train.
The car was NOT trying to ‘beat the train’
I was in this accident and not once did I see or hear the train until it hit us.
Oh, thank God you’re all right! IBTZ
N-T PBTZ
I’ll give it a bump. Poor Krista. I hope she makes a full recovery.
Welcome to Survivors Anonymous.
"I knew the girl who died, Katie. She was a great girl, really sweet. She didn't deserve what happened to her, but it was an accident. I can't believe you people can be so cruel."
Questions: Was this a quiet zone? If not, did the train sound its horn as required? Did the driver stop, quiet any noise, and lower the window to listen?
It ain't rocket science.
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