Passenger Trains > West Windsor ("PJC") Train Collision with Car, Patrol Cars damage

Police Report in an e-mail blast:

Dear Nixle User,
PRESS INFORMATION 
INCIDENT:   2019-32500 DWI, Amtrak Train Striking Vehicle on Tracks, Damage to (2) Marked Patrol Vehicles
 
DATE & TIME OCCURRED:  11/19/2019 at 11:57 pm
 
LOCATION OCCURRED:  West Bound Amtrak Train Track underneath Route #64 Bridge (just north of Washington Road at the Princeton Junction Train Station)
 
ACCUSED:  Amna S. Ahmed 23 year old A/F
                      Resident of Saddle Brook, NJ 07663
 
OFFICERS:  1)  Ptl. A. Pollini #99
                       2)  Ptl. B. Heath #103
                       3)  Ptl. C. Crawford #108
 
OTHERS INVOLVED:

1. Traffic Sgt. F. Bal #467
2. Sgt. A. Magistro #473
3. Traffic Officer F. LaTorre #68
4. Det. E. Woodrow #101
5. NJ Amtrak Police Department Police Officer G. Holman—Lead Investigator of Amtrak Train Collision

 
 
DETAILS:   At 11:57 pm on 11/19/2019, Patrol Units were detailed to the West Bound Train Tracks underneath the Route #64 bridge for a vehicle that was disabled on the Amtrak Train Track.  Ptl. Pollini arrived on scene in Car #11 while Ptl. Crawford parked nearby in his patrol car.  Upon arrival, Ptl. Pollini discovered the disabled vehicle, a 2012 Toyota Camry, facing in an easterly direction on the West Bound Amtrak Track.  The vehicle had been driven there by Amna S. Ahmed, who was on scene and met with Ptl. Pollini.  In addition, on an access road next to the train tracks was another vehicle, a white BMW, that was occupied by Amna’s father and sister, who had arrived to provide her assistance.  Dispatch began to make notifications to stop all train traffic due to the Toyota Camry being on a track and the persons in such close proximity to the train tracks.    
                   Immediately afterward, Ptl. Heath arrived on the scene and parked Car #4 directly behind the BMW.   As Ptl. Heath began exiting his vehicle, West Bound Amtrak Train #639 was approaching at a high rate of speed.  Ptl. Pollini began alerting everyone of the impending impact.  Ptl. Pollini, Ptl. Crawford, and Amna took cover behind a building along the tracks.  Amna’s sister & father remained in the BMW and the sister moved the car up slightly.  Ptl. Heath ran for cover behind the concrete bridge abutment as the Amtrak Train struck the Toyota Camry.  The  train struck the Toyota and sent heavy debris flying toward the area where our Officers had just been standing.  The Toyota was destroyed and sent directly into Car #11 which sustained extensive damage.  Car #4 sustained moderate damage, and the BMW had moderate damage after being pelted by a shower of debris from the Toyota.  Train #639 sustained heavy damage to the Engine Car #652 as well as numerous other trailing train cars.  Although the debris field was extensive and sent with such incredible force, no one was struck & there were no reported injuries due to the quick actions of our Officers.  The debris cone extended past Washington Road.  The train traffic disruption lasted approximately (3) hours.  As of the time of this release, all tracks are reportedly fully operational.     
                   Amna was determined to be DWI at the scene and was transported to WWPD Headquarters for processing.  Amna was issued summonses for Reckless Driving & DWI and released pending a future appearance at the West Windsor Municipal Court.    
 
 **NOTE:  The still photographs are from In Car Camera Videos (Car #11 and Car #4) just prior to the impact of Train #639 and the Toyota Camry.    


OFFICER PREPARING RELEASE: Lt. Lee #359
 
DATE OF RELEASE: 11/20/2019
 
**************
*Please note that charges are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/19 05:58 by joemvcnj.

Let's hope the driver has to pay for the damage... ALL of it.
Link: Driver on NEC tracks - Police dash cam captured.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/19 10:21 by tmurray.

tmurray Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Let's hope the driver has to pay for the damage...
> ALL of it.
> Driver on NEC tracks - Police dash cam captured.

Well, I just don't think that will happen. Even if he has an Umbrella policy up to $1 million tacked onto his auto policy, that won't cover all rail equipment and police car damage, forgetting his own vehicles. I don't think they will go after his assets, if he has any. Wait 'till they legalize marijuana. Youth are already vaping their heads off. 

Driver was female...not that it matters, but to be truthful.

"But offisher, I only had two beersh..."

And then she called her Daddy to come help her in his BMW, instead of police. DUMB.

I guess she could have tried calling Amtrak but the crash may have happened before she got to a live person.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/19 17:33 by GenePoon.

How fast would the train 639 been operating?  And, it likely had a cab car on one end.  I hope it was the opposite end from that which took out the Camry, etc

ACS-64 652 was on the point.  Area rated for 125 with that consist, but possibly applied some brakes...

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How fast would the train 639 been operating? 
> And, it likely had a cab car on one end.  I hope
> it was the opposite end from that which took out
> the Camry, etc

Good thing it was not the Metroliner cab car. 

Since there was time for the drunk woman driver to call her father and ask for help, and for him to get his car and drive to the scene, it sounds to me like there was time for him or her to have called 911 and get the trains stopped?

Obviously she was too drunk to drive properly, not to mention think properly, but her father should have known better...

I also have a problem with the police dispatcher sending multiple cars to an accident scene with a known car stuck on the tracks without calling the railroad!
G



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/19 10:54 by ExSPCondr.

Thanks.

The 6xx Keystone series trains tend to vary which end has the locomotive, at least in my experience.  I'm sure the engineer was happy he had the Sprinter, and not the cab car.

ExSPCondr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I also have a problem with the police dispatcher
> sending multiple cars to an accident scene with a
> known car stuck on the tracks without calling the
> railroad!
> G

The dispatcher likely has no idea whose RR it is to call if it even entered their head to call.  They wait for the police/fire/EMS unit to arrive and verify there is a hazard and give them a number to call.  Nothing proactive happens, just reactive.

I think everyone knows perfectly well it is Amtrak's railroad.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think everyone knows perfectly well it is
> Amtrak's railroad.

Just because Amtrak trains run on it doesn't mean it has to be their RR.  Just like when you see a report of a BNSF train on the east coast, because the locomotives were theirs even though they are running on CSX.  Not everyone in the world is a railfan.

Cole42 Wrote:
>
> Just because Amtrak trains run on it doesn't mean
> it has to be their RR.  Just like when you see a
> report of a BNSF train on the east coast, because
> the locomotives were theirs even though they are
> running on CSX.  Not everyone in the world is a railfan.

Everybody around here knows the NEC belongs to Amtrak,  especially the cops. These are railfan excuses you are coming up with.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/19 11:43 by joemvcnj.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Everybody around here knows the NEC belongs to
> Amtrak,  especially the cops. These are railfan
> excuses you are coming up with.

I am glad you know what everybody around there knows, you are SO knowledgeable about everything, but we see that frequently in your posts. The cops there probably do, but that does not mean that the 911 operators or dispatchers do.  And no, they are not railfan excuses, you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about there.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/19 11:50 by Cole42.

Again, you are concocting fake excuses that nobody knew which railroad to call based on nothing, and based on that, picking a stupid argument. 

Local TV with dashcam video of the hit.

NBC New York

 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Again, you are concocting fake excuses that nobody
> knew which railroad to call based on nothing, and
> based on that, picking a stupid argument. 

You are misunderstanding my comment.  I never said nobody knew who to call.  My reply was to the comment about sending police to the scene without calling the RR.   Most 911 operators and dispatchers do not know every crevice of the area they dispatch like the police and fire crews do.  They are not going to call a RR until a unit arrives and confirms it is needed.  Nothing to do with whether or not a call was made once units arrived.  Just the way things work in most places.

Cole42 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Again, you are concocting fake excuses that
> nobody
> > knew which railroad to call based on nothing,
> and
> > based on that, picking a stupid argument. 
>
> You are misunderstanding my comment.  I never
> said nobody knew who to call.  My reply was to
> the comment about sending police to the scene
> without calling the RR.   Most 911 operators and
> dispatchers do not know every crevice of the area
> they dispatch like the police and fire crews do. 
> They are not going to call a RR until a unit
> arrives and confirms it is needed.  Nothing to do
> with whether or not a call was made once units
> arrived.  Just the way things work in most
> places.

There is nothing to indidate any of your speculation had occured about their not calling the railroad. There are plenty of trespasser and suicides along this strech of railroad, like every week or two, so I am not going to question the ignorance of local police, 911, or EMS people in not knowing what to do and who to call.  

For us in the heartland, it would be nice if the poster had indicated what state this occurred in. We know it was somewhere on the Northeast Corridor but a reference to the state and closest prominent city would be great. BTW, what is "PJC"?)

Sorry, PJC is Amtrak station code for Princeton Junction, NJ, which is actually within the town of West Windsor. PJC was all I could fit in the subject line with the actual headline..