Do train engineers deliberately crash their trains like the Germanwings airplane pilot? So far officials have never officially determined this to be the case, but a lot of cases appear to be a strong possibility, especially the 2015 amtrak case where investigators deliberately ruled out the possibility of criminal activity since they are not tasked with criminal investigations. Not a single crash has been ruled a result of a deliberate action and usually ruled out.
Too fast around sharp curve[edit]
- United Kingdom Salisbury rail crash, 1906 – 28 killed
- United States Malbone Street Wreck, 1918 in New York – 98 killed
- Australia Camp Mountain train disaster, 1947 – 16 killed
- Japan Hachikō Line derailment, February 1947 – 184 killed
- United Kingdom Sutton Coldfield train disaster, 1955 – 17 killed
- United Kingdom Morpeth rail crashes, 1969, 1984, 1994 – a total of 6 killed in three separate accidents
- United Kingdom Eltham Well Hall rail crash, 1972 – 6 killed
- Italy Piacenza derailment, 1997 – 8 killed On 12 January 1997, an ETR 460 Pendolino train derailed about 200 m (660 ft) outside the station, due to the rupture of the universal joint that connects the traction motors to the wheels. The accident caused eight fatalities, and much damage to the line. derailed shortly after the exit from the bridge on the Po river, on the curve just before the station of Piacenza. there are a few hypotheses: a) failure of a bogie (but according to the latest news the bogies have been found in good conditions), b) excessive speed (but the automatic control system shouldn't have allowed that, even if there was some human error), c) failure of the tracks (however they had recently been checked and they appear in good shape). ATC equipment of that particular train was not working. The train entered a curve where the speed limit is 90 km/h at 163 km/h.
Similar accidents[edit]
– Spuyten Duyvil derailment – fatigued driver's momentary inattention led to overspeed through a curve
– Goswick rail crash - overspeed through turnout- – Milton rail crash - overspeed through turnout
– Laverton accident - overspeed through turnout
– Jokela rail crash - overspeed through turnout- – Jyväskylä rail crash - overspeed through turnout error when interpreting signals. The driver of the train was expecting the train to enter the station on another track, which had a higher speed limit. surviving engineer was sued on 25 January 2000 for causing a traffic hazard, negligent homicide and negligent bodily injury.[35] He was acquitted during the same year by the Jyväskylä District Court.[36]
– Brühl train disaster - overspeed through turnout- – Waterfall rail accident - overspeed through sharp curve
Failure to check speed after stop and proceed[edit]
- Australia Glenbrook train disaster, 1999 – 7 killed
- United Kingdom Milton rail crash – overspeed through turnout 1955, at Milton, Berkshire (currently Oxfordshire). A passenger train took a crossover too fast and derailed. Eleven were killed, and 157 were injured. Signals were hard to see from drivers side of the engine.
- United Kingdom Bourne End rail crash – overspeed through turnout 30 September 1945 when an overnight sleeping-car express train from Scotland to London Euston derailed due to a driver's error.
- driver failed to slow the train down in response cautionary signals on the approach to the diversion, and it entered a 15 mph turnout at nearly 60 mph. driver who was highly experienced with a particular reputation for being conscientious...possible that he had either experienced micro-sleep momentarily or gone into "autopilot" through fatigue. 43 people were killed, making it Britain's joint seventh worst rail disaster in terms of death toll.
- United Kingdom Goswick rail crash – overspeed through turnout scheduled to divert from the fast line to a goods loop at Goswick, Northumberland, between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Morpeth, because of engineering work. This required a significant reduction in speed, but the driver failed to react to a cautionary signal approaching the diversion and the train entered a 15 mph turnout at approximately 60 mph. river, fireman and guard had all failed to read the notice of the diversion posted at Haymarket depot. The driver, who was held principally at fault, had also allowed an unauthorised passenger on to the footplate who may have distracted
- Australia Waterfall rail accident – overspeed through sharp curve
- United Kingdom Sutton Coldfield rail crash overspeed through curve
- Salisbury rail crash, 1906, in England.
- Malbone Street Wreck, Operator error: 1918, on the New York Subway in Brooklyn Malbone Street Wreck, also known as the Brighton Beach Line Accident of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), was a rapid transit railroad accident that occurred November 1, 1918, beneath the intersection of Flatbush Avenue, Ocean Avenue, and Malbone Street (now known as Empire Boulevard), in the community of Flatbush, Brooklyn. At least 93 people died, making it one of the deadliest train crashes in the history of the United States. negotiated a curve designated to be taken at 6 miles per hour at a speed estimated at between 30 and 40 mph. The motorman was not injured and left the scene of the accident. Causes: a shortage of motormen to operate the system, Edward Luciano, a crew dispatcher, was pressed into service during the strike emergency, had never operated an elevated train in passenger service before. motorman stated during his interrogation that he had attempted to slow the train, but investigators found no attempt to engage the emergency brake, nor attempt to reverse the train's motors, the train had not slowed approaching or in the S-curve until the cars left the tracks, motorman had overshot multiple stations.
- Camp Mountain train disaster: Operator error 1947, in Australia occurred at approximately 9:48am on 5 May 1947 when a crowded picnic train derailed on a sharp left-hand curve still the largest loss of life in a rail accident on the Queensland railway network with 16 fatalities, including both the driver and fireman of the train; 38 were injured. As the train descended Camp Mountain Knob, it suddenly picked up speed before the first curve. Inquiry found that the Driver had been rostered to drive a train on a line he had little knowledge of, and was driving the train with excessive speed. Only reason which could be discovered for excess speed was that the train was late and the driver was endeavouring to make up time, and was not aware it was dangerous..
- Hachikō Line derailment, 1947, in Japan
- Sutton Coldfield train disaster, 1955, in England
- Morpeth rail crashes, 1969, 1984, 1994, three separate accidents on the same curve in England town of Morpeth in Northumberland, England has what is reputed to be the most severe curve (17 chains or 340 metres radius) of any main railway line in Britain. The track turns approximately 98° from a northwesterly to an easterly direction immediately west of Morpeth Station on an otherwise fast section of the East Coast Main Line railway.[1] This was a major factor in three serious derailments between 1969 and 1994. The curve has a permanent speed restriction of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). On 25 March 1877, the 10:30 p.m. train from Edinburgh to London Kings Cross was derailed on the curve. It was travelling at only 25 miles per hour (40 km/h). The officer from the Railway Inspectorate who held the inquiry, Captain Henry Tyler, found that faulty track was to blame On 25 March 1877, the 10:30 p.m. train from Edinburgh to London Kings Cross was derailed on the curve. It was travelling at only 25 miles per hour (40 km/h). The officer from the Railway Inspectorate who held the inquiry, Captain Henry Tyler, found that faulty track was to blame. 1984: driver accused DUI, defence claimed severe coughing fits that had caused him to fall unconscious. Driver Mr Allen, was prosecuted for being under the influence of alcohol, but acquitted after what was described by the Expert Witness Institute as an ambush defence. Driver Allen had consumed alcohol both before and after booking on duty, but the defence countered that he suffered from bronchitis and had in the past experienced severe coughing fits that had caused him to fall unconscious.
- Eltham Well Hall rail crash, 1972, in England
- Brühl train disaster, 2000, in Germany Cause: confusing planning, switching error. A train negotiated a low speed turnout at three times the correct speed and derailed, killing 9 people. When train D 203 "Schweiz-Express" Amsterdam–Basel entered the station area, the engineer had slowed the train to 40 km/h as required. He then accelerated the train to 90 km/h. After clearing the construction site, he accelerated further. When the train reached the switch into the passing siding, it was travelling at 122 km/h, three times the speed the switch was designed for. four persons were tried with the charge of "alleged involuntary manslaughter" – the train driver, the editor of the driving info, and two persons from the construction planning service. The station director was not sued. The train driver testified that the driving info and the actual signalling allowed for an interpretation of full 120 km/h. One of the construction planning coordinator testified that he did mention a possible misinterpretation in a meeting allowing for a potential danger.
- Waterfall train disaster, 2003 caused by heart attack, failure of deadman's brake and micro sleeping guard in Australia At approximately 7:15 am, the driver suffered a sudden heart attack and lost control of the train. Consequently, the train was travelling at 117 km/h (73 mph) as it approached a curve in the tracks through a small gorge. This curve is rated for speeds no greater than 60 km/h (37 mph). Tangara trains have a number of safety and vigilance devices installed, such as a deadman's brake, to address problems when the driver becomes incapacitated. If the driver releases pressure from this brake, the train will come to a halt.On this service, the guard, who could have applied the emergency brake, and the deadman's brake were the main safety mechanisms in place. Neither the deadman's brake nor the guard had intervened in this situation, and this excessive speed was found to be the direct cause of the accident. Training of train staff was also found to be a contributing factor in the accident. Paul Webb, Queen's Counsel, representing the guard on the train, said the guard was in a microsleep at the time of the question, for as much as 30 seconds, which would have removed the opportunity for the guard to halt the train. Webb had also proposed there had been attitudes that the driver was completely in charge of the train, and speeding was not an acceptable reason for the guard to slow or halt the train,
- Rosedale train crash, 2004, Cause: (deliberate crash no evidence, but possible) ignore warning driver disoriented or distracted while 2nd driver absent to make coffee. Australia QR had speed board warning system before a curved section of track and two driver operation – a co-driver acting as an observer to assist the driver, and ensure the driver is operating the train safely; they observe the route ahead independently and call signals, which the driver acknowledges, and can intervene if the driver does not respond appropriately. After safely passing through a series of curved sections the co-driver left his seat and driver's cabin and went to a vestibule area adjacent to make a "brew" for the driver, as he had complained about the quality of the beverage that was offered at Bundaberg. After passing a lower speed limit warning, driver immediately acknowledged the alarm, and kept the train at speed with the throttle at 60 per cent power. At 11:55:24 pm, close to the 60 km/h (37 mph) speed limit sign, the driver moved the train's throttle to zero power, then to emergency braking less than one second after. train was travelling at 112 km/h (70 mph) when it derailed, at a point with a limit of 60 km/h (37 mph). The driver did not reduce speed before the train entered the curve where it derailed. The investigation believed that there was no evidence that the driver deliberately ignored speed limits or drove in excess of limits, nor that he intended the train to derail. Up to the time of the derailment, the train was in steady power, and the brakes were not activated until just before it derailed. The report found that the driver may have been disorientated or distracted up to the curve, and did not recognise where the train was. The second driver's absence from the cab removed the primary defences of having two drivers in the cab to avoid errors made by just one. After derailment, co-driver required to call out critical speed limit changes, prohibit the co-driver from leaving the cab to prepare beverages.
- Amagasaki rail crash, 2005, in Japan . Driver error (deliberate crash possible?) Of the roughly 700 passengers (initial estimate was 580 passengers) on board at the time of the crash, 106 passengers, in addition to the driver, were killed and 562 others injured. Investigators have focused on speeding by the 23-year-old driver, Ryūjirō Takami (who was among the dead), as being the most likely cause of the derailment. Driver may have been attempting to make up for delay by increasing the train's speed beyond customary limits. Curve speed limit was 70 km/h (43 mph). The data recorder in the rear of the train (the rear cars were new and equipped with many extra devices) later showed that the train was moving at 116 km/h (72 mph) believed that Ryūjirō Takami was so stressed he did not notice that the train was going too fast. And when the driver did notice it, seconds before the derailment, he used the service brake, instead of the emergency brake, to avoid another infraction, for the use of the emergency brake had to be justified.
- Valencia Metro derailment Spain 2006, Driver error epilepsy sudden acceleration / Undetermined cause (deliberate crash possible). 43 people were killed and more than ten were seriously injured. Spain train's black box showed that the train's speed at the derailment point was 80 km/h (50 mph), which means it was travelling at twice the normal 40 km/h speed for this curve. 2011 the magazine Interviú published that the train driver, who died in the accident and who received all the blame, was ill with epilepsy, which disqualified him for his work. Speed blamed for Valencia train crash - The Guardian The Guardian Jul 4, 2006 - Speed blamed for Valencia train crash ... Trade union officials admitted that the investigation would now centre on the driver, who pushed the train into maximum acceleration [just like Amtrak 188] before suddenly trying to brake on a dangerous curve. The driver, a 30-year-old man with just a few months' experience, died in the accident. "black box" data recorder showed that the driver, Joaquín Pardo, had "pushed the accelerator almost to full". NPR underground train ran off its tracks and overturned. The accident occurred as thousands of visitors flocked to the city ahead of Pope Benedict's visit on Saturday.Train in Spanish crash was speeding, say officials - NZ Herald Cesar Hernandez, echoing other survivors of the crash, told Spanish media on Monday the train had accelerated then braked suddenly before the accident.
- 1 killed 11 injured Train enters curve at twice legal speed 28 June 2010 – Czech Republic – A CityElefant passenger train from Prague to Ústí nad Labem derails while entering the Ústí nad Labemstation, killing the driver and injuring 11 passengers. The cause of the derailment is unknown; the train's 108 km/h (67 mph) speed exceeded the local 50 km/h (31 mph) speed limit and may have been a factor.[36]
- 15 February 2012 – Norway – A brand-new passenger train derails on curve near Nykirke after going far too fast on the Vestfold Line, because of driver error. Five crew members are injured. There are no passengers on board. There is no automatic surveillance of most curve speed limits on this line.[114] speed was 135 km / h when the brakes were engaged. The speed limit is 130 km / h on the straight stretch before the spot where the derailment occurred, but goes down to 70 when the train comes over the older rails in a curve. The train derailed 50-60 meters after the place where it should have slowed down.. "We do not know why the rate was too high. It may be due to the infrastructure, technical failure or human error."
- Santiago de Compostela rail disaster, 2013, in Spain 79 killed . Cause: Operator distracted by phone and map arrested, charged with professional recklnessness. Deliberate crash still possible. Train was twice the posted speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) when it entered a bend Garzón told the investigating magistrate, Luis Alaez, that he suffered a "lapse of concentration" as he approached the curve when the train should have been slowed to 80 km per hour. On 28 July 2013, Garzón Amo was charged with 79 counts of homicide, and causing injury, both by professional recklessness. Court investigators said that the driver was speaking on the telephone to staff at Renfe about the route to Ferrol, and consulting a map or document, shortly before the brakes were activated and that he did apply the brakes, but not in time to achieve the safe speed limit for the curve. Driver was immediately put under arrest at a hospital in Santiago, was being investigated for criminal behaviour in causing the accident and "recklessness"
- December 2013 Spuyten Duyvil derailment, in the Bronx 4 killed Cause: Operator error. gone into the curve at almost three times the posted speed limit. Deliberate crash remote possibility. Engineer, William Rockefeller claimed he had gone into a "daze", a sort of highway hypnosis. He has since been suspended without pay; prosecutors are considering bringing criminal charges and claims have already been filed against him, Metro-North and the MTA. The engineer of a Metro-North Railroad passenger train from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Station falls asleep with the train at full throttle. It enters a 30 mph (48 km/h) curve just before Spuyten Duyvil station at 82 mph (132 km/h) and derails, killing 4 and injuring 63. The engineer's fatigue was caused by severe, undiagnosed sleep apnea in combination with a recent shift change.[226]
- 7 killed 200 injured May 12, 2015 Philadelphia train derailment Caused by inattention but lawyer believes only deliberate action explains acceleration into curve. Amtrak train bound derailed and crashed taking curve too fast in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania while traveling over 100 miles per hour. Investigators can't think of any possible explanation how a manually driven train can be made to accelerate too fast for the curve. The driver claims he doesn't remember anything, while it is highly unlikely a medical or mechanical condition could explain the mysterious acceleration. Media pointed to only a minor possibility it could have been a deliberate act by the engineer. NTSB board member pointed to drastically wrong in that engine with the engineer. He said it was unclear whether the engineer manually increased the speed, but only the engineer could do so. He said that he did not think that the engineer crashed the train deliberately because "If we thought that, we wouldn't be here, because that would be a criminal act," he said. "And we don't investigate criminal acts." Bostian avoid talking to law enforcement, but agreed to be interviewed by the NTSB, which is not a law enforcement agency. The final conclusion blamed engineer Brandon Bostian who was suspended without pay. Apparently , he heard about the rock-throwing on the radio and was so preoccupied by it that he lost track of where he was and [manually and deliberately] accelerated full-throttle to 106 mph as he went into a sharp curve with a 50 mph speed limit, May 9, 2017, Philadelphia prosecutors said Bostian, the train's engineer, would not face any criminal charges because there was no evidence that he had acted with criminal intent.[75] On May 12, 2017, Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Marsha Neifield ordered prosecutors to file involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges against Bostian; the district attorney referred the matter to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro.[76] On May 18, 2017, Shapiro charged Bostian with eight counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count for each of those who died in the wreck; causing a catastrophe; and numerous counts of reckless endangerment. The charges were filed just before the two-year statute of limitations expired for the reckless-endangerment charges.[77][78][79][80] On September 12, 2017, Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Thomas Gehret dismissed all charges against Bostian, ruling after a preliminary hearing that the evidence did not support criminal charges and that the derailment was "more likely than not" an accident.[46]
- London Croydon Tram Overturns Driver Arrested Nov 20, 2016 - London Train Crash Caused by Ramadan ... - dailymail.co.uk The Great Western train driver went through a double red light in London; *Tags. curve too fast; driver not identified; railroad overspeed;
- 2017 Washington train derailment - Wikipedia On December 18, 2017, Amtrak Cascades passenger train 501 derailed near DuPont, Washington, United States. It was the inaugural southbound revenue service run on the Point Defiance Bypass, a new passenger rail route built south of Tacoma, Washington. The bypass was designed for faster speeds and shorter travel ...
*Possible Suspicious Railway Crashes
Criminal investigations
Did Amtrak Engineer Deliberately Crash Train? May 15, 2015 The Amtrak engineer who is under investigation in Tuesday night’s train crash that killed 8, ranted online for improvements in rail safety, the LAtimes.com reports. In the hours after the crash, Bostian told investigators he did not recall the crash, then he lawyered up and refused to speak to investigators. activist also campaigned against California’s Prop 8 that banned the rights of gays to get married. He was very vocal about his support of gay marriage and actively sought out media attention. Twitter.com users reacted angrily to Bostian’s lifestyle. Some observers believe Bostian deliberately crashed the train in a narcissistic bid to bring attention to the need for rail safety improvement.
1 killed May 10, 2015 Louisiana Tow Truck Driver Killed by Amtrak Train at Dangerous, Unguarded and Humped Canadian National Crossing Amite, Louisiana 35-year-old Louisiana flatbed tow truck driver briefly got his vehicle hung up on a dangerous, unguarded and elevated Canadian National railroad crossing in Amite, LA Sunday afternoon at about 1:35 P.M., CDT, and died when his vehicle was struck by an Amtrak streamliner, one of a dozen trains that pass through Amite daily at a top allowable speed of 79 mph. fifth accident to occur at the Pope Lane It is virtually certain that if equipped with lights and gates this accident would not have happened.(why was truck accidentally stopped in path of train?)
1 killed March 29, 2015 Van drives into side of passing train in Butler County Mar 30, 2015 KAKE New deadly collision between a van and train Sunday at 1:09 a.m. Sheriff Kelly Herzet said the Toyota Minivan ran into the side of a northbound freight train at a marked crossing. The train crew was not aware of the collision. A southbound train spotted the burning van thirty minutes later and called 911.
3 killed June 22, 2014 crash Two Amtrak trains hit vehicles driving on tracks, one killing 3 near Boston June 23, 2014 AP Amtrak train hit a vehicle that was apparently driving on train tracks in Massachusetts, killing three people in the vehicle and derailing the train. Crash also disrupted train service along the busy Northeast corridor. crash just before midnight in a remote area southwest of Boston No injuries on train SUV or a truck, was headed north on the tracks toward Boston. Train speed limit in the crash area is 125 mph. Another train struck a wood chipper being towed by a truck in Connecticut Monday morning, injuring five people. Conductor hailed as hero warning passengers after train collides with truck in Berlin WTNH Amtrak train #490, the New Haven-Springfield shuttle, hit a truck pulling a wood chipper.the truck was on the tracks when the train came through,” driver of the truck – the other individuals, the workers of the truck, fled prior to the train — he was still trying to move that truck off of the tracks when the accident happened.”engineer was able to apply the brakes and run into the train to warn passengers by evacuating the first coach. “The engineer saw what was going to happen, apparently raced through the two cars, inform people to be ready and moved everyone to the second car MassliveThree people were killed late Sunday when an Amtrak train struck a car at a crossing in Mansfield, Mass. truck, registered to a company called Trees Incorporated, was involved in tree clearing around the tracks. A worker tried to move the truck as they saw the train approaching but was unable to move it in time to avoid the crash, caused the locomotive to train to derail,
2 killed including child, apparent suicide Fatal crash Canada car parked on tracks with train was likely deliberate QMI Agency June 2, 2014 A car collided with a Via Rail train east of Montreal on June 2, 2014 SAINT-LIBOIRE, Quebec Authorities believe that a car was purposely stopped on rail tracks at crossing before it was hit by a train, killing both occupants of the vehicle. A man in his 40s and a young child were killed collision occurred Monday morning. Canada Via train crash into SUV parked on tracks kills father and son, may have been deliberate Thierry Patenaude-Turcotte, 42, and Nicolas Patenaude, 21 months, killed in collision with passenger train CBC News Jun 02, 2014 The Quebec provincial police homicide squad is investigating the crash of a train and an SUV this morning east of Montreal that killed Thierry Patenaude-Turcotte, 42, and 21-month-old Nicolas Patenaude. 'It is possible that this was a voluntary act.' — Sgt. Joyce Kemp, Sûreté du Québec. SUV had passed a number of vehicles using the shoulder of the road before stopping on the tracks. "So far, the investigation that has been done at the scene and the meetings that the investigators have had with several people lead us to believe that it is possible that this was a voluntary act," said Sgt. Joyce Kemp of the Sûreté du Québec. This afternoon, police spokesman Sgt. Claude Denis told CBC News that the vehicle was parked on the tracks at the time of the crash, but he later said he could not confirm that detail
13 killed 6 injured February 4, 2014 Ukraine bus ignores signals and drives into path of train "The shuttle bus ignored the traffic lights and the sound signals and headed to the crossing. The train ripped it in two and dragged it for a long distance, 2014 Ukraine train bus collision the bus driver survived.
Canada train crash: authorities open criminal investigation. Telegraph UK Jul 09, 2013 · Canadian authorities have opened a criminal investigation into a deadly oil train derailment that killed at least 15 people over the weekend. How / who started the fire in the engine that started the whole thing?
- List of rail accidents 2010–present Wikipedia
- pottroff news archive stories about train crashes.
- Vehicles stuck at crossing
- Vehicle driven on tracks
- Train fails to stop at end of tracks
Criminal investigations
Did Amtrak Engineer Deliberately Crash Train? May 15, 2015 The Amtrak engineer who is under investigation in Tuesday night’s train crash that killed 8, ranted online for improvements in rail safety, the LAtimes.com reports. In the hours after the crash, Bostian told investigators he did not recall the crash, then he lawyered up and refused to speak to investigators. activist also campaigned against California’s Prop 8 that banned the rights of gays to get married. He was very vocal about his support of gay marriage and actively sought out media attention. Twitter.com users reacted angrily to Bostian’s lifestyle. Some observers believe Bostian deliberately crashed the train in a narcissistic bid to bring attention to the need for rail safety improvement.
1 killed May 10, 2015 Louisiana Tow Truck Driver Killed by Amtrak Train at Dangerous, Unguarded and Humped Canadian National Crossing Amite, Louisiana 35-year-old Louisiana flatbed tow truck driver briefly got his vehicle hung up on a dangerous, unguarded and elevated Canadian National railroad crossing in Amite, LA Sunday afternoon at about 1:35 P.M., CDT, and died when his vehicle was struck by an Amtrak streamliner, one of a dozen trains that pass through Amite daily at a top allowable speed of 79 mph. fifth accident to occur at the Pope Lane It is virtually certain that if equipped with lights and gates this accident would not have happened.(why was truck accidentally stopped in path of train?)
1 killed March 29, 2015 Van drives into side of passing train in Butler County Mar 30, 2015 KAKE New deadly collision between a van and train Sunday at 1:09 a.m. Sheriff Kelly Herzet said the Toyota Minivan ran into the side of a northbound freight train at a marked crossing. The train crew was not aware of the collision. A southbound train spotted the burning van thirty minutes later and called 911.
3 killed June 22, 2014 crash Two Amtrak trains hit vehicles driving on tracks, one killing 3 near Boston June 23, 2014 AP Amtrak train hit a vehicle that was apparently driving on train tracks in Massachusetts, killing three people in the vehicle and derailing the train. Crash also disrupted train service along the busy Northeast corridor. crash just before midnight in a remote area southwest of Boston No injuries on train SUV or a truck, was headed north on the tracks toward Boston. Train speed limit in the crash area is 125 mph. Another train struck a wood chipper being towed by a truck in Connecticut Monday morning, injuring five people. Conductor hailed as hero warning passengers after train collides with truck in Berlin WTNH Amtrak train #490, the New Haven-Springfield shuttle, hit a truck pulling a wood chipper.the truck was on the tracks when the train came through,” driver of the truck – the other individuals, the workers of the truck, fled prior to the train — he was still trying to move that truck off of the tracks when the accident happened.”engineer was able to apply the brakes and run into the train to warn passengers by evacuating the first coach. “The engineer saw what was going to happen, apparently raced through the two cars, inform people to be ready and moved everyone to the second car MassliveThree people were killed late Sunday when an Amtrak train struck a car at a crossing in Mansfield, Mass. truck, registered to a company called Trees Incorporated, was involved in tree clearing around the tracks. A worker tried to move the truck as they saw the train approaching but was unable to move it in time to avoid the crash, caused the locomotive to train to derail,
2 killed including child, apparent suicide Fatal crash Canada car parked on tracks with train was likely deliberate QMI Agency June 2, 2014 A car collided with a Via Rail train east of Montreal on June 2, 2014 SAINT-LIBOIRE, Quebec Authorities believe that a car was purposely stopped on rail tracks at crossing before it was hit by a train, killing both occupants of the vehicle. A man in his 40s and a young child were killed collision occurred Monday morning. Canada Via train crash into SUV parked on tracks kills father and son, may have been deliberate Thierry Patenaude-Turcotte, 42, and Nicolas Patenaude, 21 months, killed in collision with passenger train CBC News Jun 02, 2014 The Quebec provincial police homicide squad is investigating the crash of a train and an SUV this morning east of Montreal that killed Thierry Patenaude-Turcotte, 42, and 21-month-old Nicolas Patenaude. 'It is possible that this was a voluntary act.' — Sgt. Joyce Kemp, Sûreté du Québec. SUV had passed a number of vehicles using the shoulder of the road before stopping on the tracks. "So far, the investigation that has been done at the scene and the meetings that the investigators have had with several people lead us to believe that it is possible that this was a voluntary act," said Sgt. Joyce Kemp of the Sûreté du Québec. This afternoon, police spokesman Sgt. Claude Denis told CBC News that the vehicle was parked on the tracks at the time of the crash, but he later said he could not confirm that detail
13 killed 6 injured February 4, 2014 Ukraine bus ignores signals and drives into path of train "The shuttle bus ignored the traffic lights and the sound signals and headed to the crossing. The train ripped it in two and dragged it for a long distance, 2014 Ukraine train bus collision the bus driver survived.
Canada train crash: authorities open criminal investigation. Telegraph UK Jul 09, 2013 · Canadian authorities have opened a criminal investigation into a deadly oil train derailment that killed at least 15 people over the weekend. How / who started the fire in the engine that started the whole thing?
13 May 2010 – United States – A northbound Amtrak Piedmont collides with a truck towing a low loader stuck at crossing n Mebane, North Carolina. 11 are injured.Amtrak Train Hits Tractor-Trailer In Mebane, Several Injured An Amtrak train hit a tractor-trailer carrying a CAT brand excavator. The engine of the train caught on fire. The locomotive and three coach cars derailed. The truck driver, Barry Lazaro, of Wake Forest, claims the lowboy trailer was stuck on the tracks. The driver was able to escape. Investigators estimate the train was going about 70 mph when it hit.
1 killed 11 injured Train enters curve at twice legal speed like Philadelphia Amtrak: 28 June 2010 – Czech Republic – A CityElefant passenger train from Prague to Ústí nad Labem derails while entering the Ústí nad Labemstation, killing the driver and injuring 11 passengers. The cause of the derailment is unknown; the train's 108 km/h (67 mph) speed exceeded the local 50 km/h (31 mph) speed limit and may have been a factor.[36]
11 killed 177 injured ruled intentional but not terrorism 2005 Glendale train crash - Wikipedia The 2005 Glendale train crash is the second-deadliest incident in the history of Metrolink The root cause of the accident was attributed to the driver of the automobile, Juan Manuel Álvarez of Compton, California, who deliberately drove and left his vehicle onto the tracks. After he left his Jeep Cherokee Sport vehicle parked on the tracks, he was arrested and charged with 11 counts of murder with "special circumstances." Authorities and Álvarez's legal defense claimed Álvarez was planning to commit suicide, but changed his mind at the last minute. Álvarez was convicted in June 2008 of the eleven counts plus one count of arson, and though prosecutors sought a death sentence, was sentenced in August 2008 to 11 consecutive life sentences in prison with no possibility of parole. The next day, police intervened in a similar "copycat" incident in Irvine, California where a suicidal man parked his car on Metrolink tracks. The man drove away from the tracks when police arrived and was later arrested. The root cause of the accident was attributed to the driver of the automobile, Juan Manuel Álvarez of Compton, California, who deliberately drove and left his vehicle onto the tracks while allegedly attempting to commit suicide. Having slashed his wrists and stabbed himself repeatedly in the chest, he parked his car on the tracks to finish the attempt. However, Álvarez changed his mind and attempted to leave the railroad tracks. Because he was unable to dislodge his vehicle from the rain-soaked gravel and slick rails, he abandoned the vehicle moments before the crowded southbound train approached. However, there has been some speculation that Álvarez may have inflicted the wounds on himself after the crash, based on some early reports by witnesses. Both this causation and the end result have many similarities to that of the Ufton Nervet rail crash in theUnited Kingdom, which occurred only three months previously, although in that case the driver of the car stayed in the vehicle and was killed. Early rumors of the incident being a terrorist attack were dismissed, as no connections to any terrorist organization existed with the suspect.
7 killed 6 November 2004 suicidal car driver Ufton Nervet rail crash was a collision between a train and car near Ufton Nervet, Berkshire, England in 2004. Seven people, including the drivers of the train and the car, were killed. at 18:12 GMT, the First Great Western 17:35 service from London Paddington to Plymouth, an InterCity 125 (HST) led by a Class 43 power car (43019) collided with a stationary car at an automatic level crossing close to the rural West Berkshire village of Ufton Nervet. The inquest concluded that the crash was caused by Brian Drysdale, a chef at the nearby Wokefield Park Hotel, committing suicide by parking his car on the crossing. similar: 2005 Glendale train crash crash in January 2005 on the Los Angeles commuter rail system in similar circumstances.
7 killed August 11, 2004 Suicide cause for 2004 UK train hits car stopped at crossing completely derailed crash The high-speed train crash that killed seven and injured scores of passengers may have been as a result of the car driver’s attempt to commit suicide.... 300 passengers... completely derailed,, hit a car at a level crossing ...car had been stopped at the crossing prior to the crash and in an interview for BBC Radio said that the action may have been deliberate.. or mechanical failure could not be ruled out,,, Six people, including the train driver and the car driver, are known to have died at the scene, a seventh died later in hospital... Four of the 18 people in hospital following the incident are said to be in a “serious” condition...reports that the driver of the vehicle had informed the off-duty police officer that he wanted to die have subsequently been denied.
10 killed 82 injured 28 February 2001 Great Heck rail crash, Ruled accident due to sleep deprivation, driver claimed mechanical fault or collision caused loss of control, sentenced 5 years of causing death by dangerous driving. High-speed train accident that occurred at Great Heck near Selby, North Yorkshire, England on the morning of 28 February 2001. Ten people died, including the drivers of both trains involved, and 82 people suffered serious injuries. It remains the worst rail disaster in the 21st century in the United Kingdom. Land Rover Defender towing a loaded trailer (carrying a Renault Savanna estate car) swerved off the M62 motorway just before a bridge over the East Coast Main Line. The vehicle ran down an embankment and onto the southbound railway track. The Land Rover's driver, Gary Neil Hart, tried to reverse it off the track, but he could not. While he was using a mobile telephone to call the emergency services after exiting the vehicle, the Land Rover was hit by a southbound train .Hart escaped the collision unscathed. He claimed that his car had suffered a mechanical fault, or had collided with an object on the road. An investigation, including reconstruction of the Land Rover to demonstrate that it was not mechanically defective, concluded that Hart had been driving in a sleep-deprived condition, and had not applied the brakes as it went down the embankment. It later transpired that Hart had stayed up the previous night talking on the telephone to a woman he had met via an Internet dating agency.[5] Hart was tried on ten counts of causing death by dangerous driving. On 13 December 2001 he was found guilty, and sentenced to five years' imprisonment.
7 killed ruled accident: 1995 Fox River Grove bus–train collision was a grade crossing accident that killed seven students riding aboard a school bus in Fox River Grove, Illinois, on the morning of October 25, 1995. The school bus, driven by a substitute driver, was stopped at a traffic light with the rearmost portion extending onto a portion of the railroad tracks when it was struck by a Metra commuter train en route to Chicago.[1]
*Timeline
One unlikely but possible explanation: Valhalla train crash On the evening of February 3, 2015, a commuter train on Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line struck a passenger car at a grade crossing near Valhalla, New York, United States, between the Valhalla andMount Pleasant stations, killing six people and injuring fifteen others, including seven in "very serious condition".[1][2]
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