Car vs. Train = 4 dead in Canton Twp.

[Meddle]

See how the building and trees obscure any view of the tracks to the east.

Bingo!

Now that in NO way excuses the driver's actions. In fact that REQUIRES a full stop at the crossing before proceeding even if the gates are up and lights off.

However, that's the stuff lawyers thrive on and they'll try to make a case against the railroad, the township and/or the county.

[reddog289]

Now that it has been pointed out , I do see the "bad view" of the tracks on the east side of Hannan heading north.

[Kelton]

All the more reason to slow down! The gates are closed, the lights are flashing, another vehicle is stopped at the crossing, the view of the tracks is obstructed..............

After watching the video, my guess is that they were hurrying, music was blasting, kids were chatting, he was speeding and when he finally noticed the SUV stopped in front of him, he realized it was too late to avoid hitting the SUV, so to avoid a collision, he went around it. A spilt second decision, obviously the wrong decision. That would mean that he chose to hit the gate intentionally instead of the SUV. Or he never saw the gate, or the RR crossing. Who knows. How can it be pounded into kids' heads that you just cannot drive recklessly without there being some sort of consequences?

So sad for the families involved.

[Buy American]

Maybe I missed it but was the driver of the SUV that was stopped interviewed? That person would have been at the best advantage point to witness the entire episode.

The guardrails were down, the lights were flashing....the driver had to have seen them and yet he chose to ignore them because he felt he could beat the train and because he felt invincible.

[Novine]

I haven't seen any interviews with the SUV driver. After watching 5 people die in front of you, not everyone is in a rush to talk to the press.

[DetroitTeacher]

The mother [[and uncle) knew that the kid's license was suspended. They bailed him out of jail for driving on a suspended license a few weeks prior to the accident. He had a court date, that he missed, on July 1 for driving on a suspended. The mother had to be fully aware that her son had no license [[because of the posting of bail for that offense). Even the grandparents of the Harris brothers knew the driver had no valid license and told the boys not to get in the car. The mother is in for a shock when the lawsuits start piling up. She knowingly let this kid drive her car without a license!

Edit for more info: When one is arrested in a vehicle that vehicle is impounded [[as was this vehicle when Dan was arrested). The MOTHER [[owner of the car) had to go and get her car out of impound and pay the fees. Thus supporting the claim she knew the kid had no licesne.

[reddog289]

Living not to far from the scene of the accident, I drove by there this evening. From what I seen tonite, I belive there should be some sort of Police patrol at that crossing. The fact that people are paying their respects isn't the issue, But leaving your vehicle in the road [ TWO -LANE] is not a good idea.

[rooms222]

Heard a PSA for this on a CA radio station on the net-----

http://speakuporelse.com/

Reckless driving the #1 cause of death for teenagers....One PSA even has a "Rob from Michigan" in it and a surly driver getting ready to spend his "last five minutes on earth."

[Meddle]

Josh McFadden, taking a methane-gas reading from a landfill Thursday near the site of a deadly car-train crash, had a bird's-eye view of the wreck that took the lives of five young people.

He said he's scheduled to meet with an inspector today at that crossing in Canton.

From his perch Thursday — 75 to 100 feet up and at least 200 yards away — McFadden saw the railroad gates down and heard the train's horn blowing, he said.

Then he saw the car.

Driving toward the crossing, it slowed slightly behind an SUV waiting for the train to pass and then whipped around and headed for the tracks.

“I was like, 'Oh my God, is he going to try to beat this train?' ” McFadden said. “You can't beat an Amtrak.”

http://freep.com/article/20090712/NE...-view-of-crash

[kryptonite]

Brains maybe?

2Blocks, that reply is as good as they get. But for some people brains for sure would be a technological breakthrough.

[Meddle]

Thursday's crash wasn't the first time that Daniel had showed poor judgment. As a matter of fact, he was still a probationary driver at 19 because his driving record was never clean long enough to get off probation.

http://freep.com/article/20090714/CO...n-deadly-crash

[Meddle]

Video from a surveillance camera on the Amtrak train that collided with a car in Canton on July 9 — killing five young people — clearly shows that the car drove around a downed crossing gate into the train’s path.

The video, released Thursday, also shows that the Amtrak engineer had sounded warnings as the westbound train approached the Hannan Road crossing at an estimated 70 m.p.h. en route to Chicago.

In the video, and according to Canton police reports, the black 2006 Ford Fusion can clearly be seen suddenly entering the path of the train from the left. The front seat passenger, Terrence Harris, 21, is seen with his arm on the window frame and the window is open. The report said Harris “lifts his arm and points at the train” and just before the impact he pulls his arm back through the window and leans inward, anticipating the inevitable impact.

At the moment of impact, the car is no longer in the camera’s view. The sound of the crash is heard, and an upward spray of glass fragments from the crushed car passes the train’s windshield. The camera dips slightly downward at the impact, then returns to position.

A scraping sound follows as the engineer has applied brakes that take more than 40 seconds to bring the train — with five passenger cars and engines on each end — to a stop near Lotz Road, south of Michigan Avenue. A few minutes later, a railroad employee appears in the camera frame looking toward the car’s wreckage — still out of view — wrapped around the front of the engine. He is visibly shaken.

http://www.freep.com/article/2009082...0827059/?imw=Y

[FlyingJ]

Meddle- that just reiterates all the posters who figured that driver was a clown...the shotgun passenger bracing for impact is about the most pitiful thing I've seen in years, tho-& they should show this clip to would-be Loco Bait as well---save a few lives when you see how they end up

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...tes%22&spell=1

[Zacha341]

Well stated. The mother clearly KNEW her son's license was in question, but like too many permissive parents that would rather be a "friend" and buddy to their kids than be a parent, she ALLOWED him to keep driving HER car! All teens should see the video on this tragic accident, including the one from the camera view mounted on the front of the train: http://apps.detnews.com/apps/multime...ex.php?id=3769

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKmcI...eature=related

The mother [[and uncle) knew that the kid's license was suspended. They bailed him out of jail for driving on a suspended license a few weeks prior to the accident. He had a court date, that he missed, on July 1 for driving on a suspended. The mother had to be fully aware that her son had no license [[because of the posting of bail for that offense). Even the grandparents of the Harris brothers knew the driver had no valid license and told the boys not to get in the car. The mother is in for a shock when the lawsuits start piling up. She knowingly let this kid drive her car without a license!

Edit for more info: When one is arrested in a vehicle that vehicle is impounded [[as was this vehicle when Dan was arrested). The MOTHER [[owner of the car) had to go and get her car out of impound and pay the fees. Thus supporting the claim she knew the kid had no licesne.

[ziggyselbin]

The mother [[and uncle) knew that the kid's license was suspended. They bailed him out of jail for driving on a suspended license a few weeks prior to the accident. He had a court date, that he missed, on July 1 for driving on a suspended. The mother had to be fully aware that her son had no license [[because of the posting of bail for that offense). Even the grandparents of the Harris brothers knew the driver had no valid license and told the boys not to get in the car. The mother is in for a shock when the lawsuits start piling up. She knowingly let this kid drive her car without a license!

Edit for more info: When one is arrested in a vehicle that vehicle is impounded [[as was this vehicle when Dan was arrested). The MOTHER [[owner of the car) had to go and get her car out of impound and pay the fees. Thus supporting the claim she knew the kid had no licesne.

These families have no money. What good would suing them do? I doubt they are collectible. What a completely avoidable tragedy. The only good is that parents hopefully will [[when they can) forbid their children to ride with someone w/o a license.

[goggomobil]

Here's a website of a retired Amtrak conductor who started his career at the Livernois yard. He has several great stories about his work on trains and tells them quite well. Many relate to car-train accidents. You should know that he has posted VERY graphic photos, some of people killed by trains.

Check out the 'Train Wrecks' photo page link, bottom center.

http://www.railroaddave.com/

[vetalalumni]

I wonder. When a tragedy such as this occurs, exactly WHAT are people "praying" for?

For the families and friends traumatized by these events.

[Downriviera]

goggomobil,

Thanks for the link. I spent the better part of the afternoon reading railroad
Dave's stories. Good stuff.