Passenger Trains > San Diego Coaster vs. auto collision

Apparently a Coaster commuter hit a car @ the Washington Street grade crossing this morning. KOGO radio provided a classic report stating "Authorities are trying to determine if the car or the train ran a red stop signal." Who writes this stuff? The vehicle's two 80+ year old occupants were hauled off to a local hospital in an undisclosed condition. Lord willing they will be restored to health and avoid RR crossings in the future.

It delayed Surfliner 562 about ten minutes as the car ended up on the west trolley track. The Trolley ran on the east track and switch tenders were stationed at crosses. The Coaster arrived
into San Diego at 9:25 AM and was taken out of service. A replacement set came up from the trolley yard to take its place. Surfliner 796 was not delayed and returned me to Santa Ana early.

Chris

I wondered how a Coaster could come from the Trolley yard...til I remembered seeing their adjacent maintenance facilities near the Padres ballfield.

They better examine that faulty traffic light!!
Dumb journalism strikes again.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/09 13:03 by Abqfoamer.

They use the four far tracks in the trolley yard for nid day storage of equipment in San Diego.

Chris

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_2191482b-57d5-588b-acb9-9af79bc95ff6.html

One of TO's own was at the controls; he's fine, sense of humor is intact. It sounds like the couple stopped on the tracks and was boxed in, they weren't sure whether the trolley tracks or train tracks were safer and were pulling back and forth onto the two sets of tracks, definately some sort of confusion involved. the couple sounds fine, mostly shaken, one laceration, but the turnout could have been a lot worse.

That crammed area is packed with main streets, rail crossings, intersections, a freeway, airport.
I've found you gotta REEEALLY pay attention driving thru there, especially returning your rental car!!

If you keep driving west on Washington Ave. you can cross one more RR track, the south lead into the Marine Corps Recruit Depot!! You really have to be able to count tracks and move your head from side to side!!

Jaanfo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article
> _2191482b-57d5-588b-acb9-9af79bc95ff6.html
>
> One of TO's own was at the controls; he's fine,
> sense of humor is intact. It sounds like the
> couple stopped on the tracks and was boxed in,
> they weren't sure whether the trolley tracks or
> train tracks were safer and were pulling back and
> forth onto the two sets of tracks, definately some
> sort of confusion involved. the couple sounds
> fine, mostly shaken, one laceration, but the
> turnout could have been a lot worse.


Not sure exactly where the accident happened, but I know down near the San Diego Amtrak depot, there are a "lot of tracks" for the light rail system and Amtrak/Coaster. But I've usually seen these crossing protected by gates that come down fully across the road. I guess such is not the case where the accident occurred.....not to be sarcastic, but young and old people for that matter can definitely get confused, to a degree, in the vicinity of the San Diego train station. Even "crossing the tracks on foot" near the San Diego train station can be well, "interesting" at times. Stop, look and listen for sure!!!

And tonight, there was a derailment just south of Santa Fe Depot. Apparently an empty train enroute to the yard. One end of one car off the track, but blocking Broadway.

Two of my girlfriends parents elderly friends' died at that crossing many years ago...They apparently got confused and ended up stuck on the tracks in their car down the mainline a spell.

Looks like it could be real easy to get caught on the tracks if the traffic light has cars backed up to the track crossings. No "Do not stop on RR tracks" warning either.

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