Passenger Trains > Amtrak employees file more lawsuits in Nevada crash

Two more lawsuits filed in fatal Nevada Amtrak crash
Reno Gazette-Journal
Sep. 13, 2011

> An Amtrak waitress and a cook who were aboard the train that was hit by a semi-trailer truck in June are suing the trucking company,
> claiming negligence, and Amtrak for its policy of locking an escape door.
>
> The lawsuits filed Monday in Washoe District Court by Evelyn Johnson, 59, of Dolton, Ill. and Ronald Werckenthien, 51, of Crete, Ill., are
> among a dozen filed after trucker Lawrence Valli slammed his semi into the California Zeyphr, killing six...

> ...Johnson worked as a waitress in the dining car, Higgins said. Before the crash, she had gone to the crew car to take a nap. Instead
> of sleeping in her normal room that she shared with conductor Laurette Lee, Johnson decided to sleep in an upper deck because she
> and Lee tended to talk a lot and she needed sleep, Higgins said. When the truck hit the train, it struck near that sleeping room,
> killing Lee, Higgins said.
>
> Johnson, Werckenthien and (fellow Amtrak employee Laura) Dickerson (who filed a suit in July) went toward the front of the crew car to
> try to escape out the door that led to the baggage car, Higgins said. But it was locked “because Amtrak had a new policy to lock that
> door,” Higgins said...“The policy was relatively new - within the past year”...
>
> They were forced to backtrack and through the crew car to the coach car...“That’s where they saw the passengers who were badly injured,
> many from the fire,” Higgins said. They saw one woman who was crushed under a seat. There was a lot of wreckage, panic and smoke.”
>
> The group had to “jump down from the smoldering wreckage a distance of approximately 15 feet to the rocky rail bed below,” the suit said.
> Their injuries were directly related to being unable to get out that locked door...


http://www.rgj.com/article/20110913/NEWS01/110913047/Two-more-lawsuits-filed-fatal-Nevada-Amtrak-crash

Question: the only way out of Amtrak cars are through the normal exits? There are no push out exit windows or emergency only exits. Not trying to be an expert but two exits is emergency planning 101.

You can lock a door but need an emergency release type of mechanism for escape??

Bob

First option of escape is the end doors, if you cannot escape out the ends then the second choice is the side doors, if that fails the windows are considered the last resort.

I won't say much about this except that the policy to lock the doors at each end of the passenger carrying consist is far from new, and it's in place as much for safety and security as leaving it unlocked would be per these lawsuits...

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Two more lawsuits filed in fatal Nevada Amtrak
> crash
> Reno Gazette-Journal
> Sep. 13, 2011

> > ...Johnson worked as a waitress in the dining
> car, Higgins said. Before the crash, she had gone
> to the crew car to take a nap. Instead
> > of sleeping in her normal room that she shared
> with conductor Laurette Lee, Johnson decided to
> sleep in an upper deck because she
> > and Lee tended to talk a lot and she needed
> sleep, Higgins said. When the truck hit the train,
> it struck near that sleeping room,
> > killing Lee, Higgins said.


Condr. Lee's office was in the lower level of the crew car, and was NOT a sleeping room.
Leave it to today's news reporting to screw up this very important fact.

IC_2024 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> GenePoon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Two more lawsuits filed in fatal Nevada Amtrak
> > crash
> > Reno Gazette-Journal
> > Sep. 13, 2011
>
> > > ...Johnson worked as a waitress in the dining
> > car, Higgins said. Before the crash, she had
> gone
> > to the crew car to take a nap. Instead
> > > of sleeping in her normal room that she
> shared
> > with conductor Laurette Lee, Johnson decided to
> > sleep in an upper deck because she
> > > and Lee tended to talk a lot and she needed
> > sleep, Higgins said. When the truck hit the
> train,
> > it struck near that sleeping room,
> > > killing Lee, Higgins said.
>
>
> Condr. Lee's office was in the lower level of the
> crew car, and was NOT a sleeping room.
> Leave it to today's news reporting to screw up
> this very important fact.

The "very important fact" is attributed to the Higgins person. Who is that, Johnson's lawyer perhaps? The way the story is excerpted, it's unclear.

Speaking of locked doors--I was riding southbound on one of the early San Joaquins back in the day when it was an F-40 and three or four amfleet cars. I was in the car directly behind the locomotive and had the car all to myself. The conductor had darken the car due to the late hour--after 11 pm--when two inebriated--men stumbled through the car to the end door next to the locomotive. They began playing with the door controls and swearing when lo and behold the managed to get the end door opened exposing the locomotive and causing a rush of air to come through the car. Next thing I know, they disappeared onto the back of the locomotive and proceed to climb up on top of the engine while we were traveling towards Bakersfield at high speed. I went back to the cafe car and found the conductor and informed him about the two individuals and that they were on top of the engine. He yelled Son of a B----h and hurried to the locomotive! He tried to coax the men down but now they were scared and clinging to the fan screen for dear life. The conductor pulled the emergency handle and I could hear the cafe car destroy itself as all of those little bottles went flying. The cond. and brakeman had to help these "gentlemen" down--who were now quite sober (and dirty) and escort them back to the Cafe car. They were placed under arrest upon arriving in Bakers field---one of my more interesting trips on Amtrak!

TomPlatten Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Speaking of locked doors--I was riding southbound
> on one of the early San Joaquins back in the day
> when it was an F-40 and three or four amfleet
> cars. I was in the car directly behind the
> locomotive and had the car all to myself. The
> conductor had darken the car due to the late
> hour--after 11 pm--when two inebriated--men
> stumbled through the car to the end door next to
> the locomotive. They began playing with the door
> controls and swearing when lo and behold the
> managed to get the end door opened exposing the
> locomotive and causing a rush of air to come
> through the car. Next thing I know, they
> disappeared onto the back of the locomotive and
> proceed to climb up on top of the engine while we
> were traveling towards Bakersfield at high speed.
> I went back to the cafe car and found the
> conductor and informed him about the two
> individuals and that they were on top of the
> engine. He yelled Son of a B----h and hurried to
> the locomotive! He tried to coax the men down but
> now they were scared and clinging to the fan
> screen for dear life. The conductor pulled the
> emergency handle and I could hear the cafe car
> destroy itself as all of those little bottles went
> flying. The cond. and brakeman had to help these
> "gentlemen" down--who were now quite sober (and
> dirty) and escort them back to the Cafe car. They
> were placed under arrest upon arriving in Bakers
> field---one of my more interesting trips on
> Amtrak!


interesting story ... had they done that on the NEC they would've been toast and more than likely tossed from the top of the locomotive onto the RofW probably into the path of another train

All I know is that I could clearly see the rear of the locomotive swaying along at about 65 mph (according to the conductor}. It was totally dark outside in the middle of agricultural fields. If they had fallen off the train it would have hours before they were discovered. I guess they were lucky I was there! The conductor was livid! How they managed to get the door opened, I don't know. I assumed it was locked and secured! Guess not!