Cab Video: Amtrak 353 Hannan Rd collision

[GP30M4216]

From the Detroit News - Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, they have posted an online version of the in-cab video from the July collision between Amtrak train 353 and the Ford Fusion at the Hanna Road crossing in Canton, MI.

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/multimedia ... hp?id=3769

[GTWChris]

Thanks for posting this link.

[sd70accsxt700]

?

[R.E.A.P.E.R.]

OMG! I recognized the conductor in the footage.

[~Z~]

Thanks for posting that up... wow.. just splat, no time to react before they hit...couldn't see the car coming at all from that angle.

[RailCanon]

Cant tell for sure, but sounds like the engineer put it into dynamics to help slow it down also. I always wondered how that would work. Looks like it kept him from going across the road ahead.

Amtrak engineers use "blended-breaking" which is a combination of using the airbrakes and dynamics. It slows the train down drastically.

[GTWFRED]

Almost looks like suicide by train. I guess to me that's cleaning up the gene pool. No wonder a lot of engineers walk away from that, never to come back, can't blame 'em. I just feel bad for the passenger(s) if any, of the car, AND the train guys who see that S**T EVERY day. How do you spell S T U P I D I T Y?

[JANGAJONGA]

That was brutal.....

[Railzfan]

Wow...that was chilling! It never ceases to amaze me how stupid people are...can't imagine how terrified the other cars sitting at the crossing where. Thanks for posting the video and link!

[azimmer]

Here are some screen catures from the video.

The first appearance of the speeding vehicle as seen from the cab. The gates are down and the black car (seen at the extreme left) is definitely in the passing lane.



As the train enters the intersection, so does the car!



There is now perhaps less than a second of life remaining for the people inside.



The last scene from the cab before the car (and occupants) is destroyed a quarter second later.
(The "double exposure" is some sort of artifact from the screen capture.)



AZ

[GTWChris]

In reply to There is now perhaps less than a second of life remaining for the people inside. That is not so true, the occupants of the car may not have past away on impacted. The car was so shredded it took a long time for emergency crews to cut them out. It is a sad truth but some of the occupants might have survived the collision and emergency crews where unable to get the occupants fast enough.

[nssd70m-2]

That is pretty messed up.

[mikerm19]

I'm glad this video is out. Maybe, just maybe, someone will see this, and next time they think about doing something so stupid as to try to beat the train, they will think twice about how 5 kids had to die because they couldn't wait for a 4 or 5 car passenger train to spend an entire 10 seconds or less in the crossing.

[azimmer]

Heer is just one more screen capture from the video. It has been brightened up a little to make out more detail. Unfortunately, the original video as posted was not of very good quality. Any enlargement beyond 200% is just so blocky that nothing can be discerned.

But, unless I am imagining things, it looks like we can see here one of the hapless passengers, with his arm casually resting on the door with the window open, seemingly totally unaware of his fate. He is looking at the oncoming train. He is probably thinking (and hoping) that they will avoid collision by a hair's breadth.



AZ

[azimmer]

A note to viewers:

These images are being automatically reduced in size by the forum software. To see the full size, you'll have to either download and view separately or right click and select to view the image in another window.

AZ

[Railzfan]

Just makes me sick...can't people find something better to do than *try* to beat the train...not only are at least two people dead but also the crew has to live with this forever! Extremely sad

[MDH]

In reply to There is now perhaps less than a second of life remaining for the people inside. That is not so true, the occupants of the car may not have past away on impacted. The car was so shredded it took a long time for emergency crews to cut them out. It is a sad truth but some of the occupants might have survived the collision and emergency crews where unable to get the occupants fast enough.

I would be absolutely shocked if they were not all killed on impact - the physics involved are impressive and a 70 mph side impact by a train on any car is going to be immediately fatal... Think about it - they were going pretty fast in a northbound direction and then in under a second changed to going nearly 70mph westward. The result is nearly like jumping out of a plane without a parachute. Even if the passenger compartment wasn't crushed and they were restrained the sheer force of the violent change of direction/speed would rip/rupture/tear/bruise so much internally they'd go right into shock/unconsciousness and die rapidly from massive internal hemorrhaging.

Sad situation all the way around and I feel sorry for the train crew, parents, and others impacted by this single act of stupidity. (note to parents - this is why you don't let your young kids ride with some older dip$hit with a suspended license! note to the "kids" on this board - this is why you always be careful about who you're riding with! do you trust them with your life?)

M

[Scooterb]

REad somewhere the black box in the car said the car was doing 68mph with brakes applied 3 seconds before impact.

Yes MDH the force of impact likely was instant as the force of an impact like that would have sheard the brain stem.

[conrailmike]

In reply to There is now perhaps less than a second of life remaining for the people inside. That is not so true, the occupants of the car may not have past away on impacted. The car was so shredded it took a long time for emergency crews to cut them out. It is a sad truth but some of the occupants might have survived the collision and emergency crews where unable to get the occupants fast enough.

Um, I don't think so. The P42 that hit them weighs in at 266,000 pounds and was going 67 miles an hour. Think about it....

[RailCanon]

From an informed source...not everyone in the car died immediately. I will not take that information further, so don't even ask. Just verying that Chris may be correct.