Passenger Trains > Amtrak vs Police Car Greensboro, NC

An Amtrak train took out a police car Thanksgiving night in Greensboro, NC.  Fortunately there were no occupants inside the car.  The police officer was apparently responding to a vehicle crash and parked a little to close to the tracks.

https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/traffic/hilltop-road-train-crash-road-closed/83-bc7590bd-2447-41b2-a7d8-e9cc7351dff3

kbmiflyer Wrote:
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> An Amtrak train took out a police car Thanksgiving
> night in Greensboro, NC.  Fortunately there were
> no occupants inside the car.  The police officer
> was apparently responding to a vehicle crash and
> parked a little to close to the tracks.
>
> https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/traffic/hilltop-
> road-train-crash-road-closed/83-bc7590bd-2447-41b2
> -a7d8-e9cc7351dff3
I realize just how busy police officers are all over this country, however, the police officer needs to be more observant when parking near any railroad tracks, just like the rest of us must do.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Yeah, I'm sure they will be just thrilled to drop another $150K to replace that cop car just because somebody lost their situational awareness.

"I hereby withdraw my application for promotion to Sergeant."    

Just goes to show how trains are simply out of mind for most people, as the SP's Ben Biaggini correctly observed probably 50 or so years ago.  Also, I notice that was a North Carolina train pulled by what looked like an Amtrak P42.  I'm surprised Amtrak has any P42s to spare for that duty, though I guess there were one or two P42s helping out for a while earlier this year.

NPRocky Wrote:
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> Just goes to show how trains are simply out of
> mind for most people, as the SP's Ben Biaggini
> correctly observed probably 50 or so years ago. 
> Also, I notice that was a North Carolina train
> pulled by what looked like an Amtrak P42.  I'm
> surprised Amtrak has any P42s to spare for that
> duty, though I guess there were one or two P42s
> helping out for a while earlier this year.

AMTK #33 and #38 currently helping out.

Posted from iPhone

 Gene, make him a capitan and get him off the street.

GenePoon Wrote:
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> "I hereby withdraw my application for promotion to
> Sergeant."    

Glad nobody was hurt.

Wasn't there a case in Colorado recently where a handcuffed woman was placed in a police vehicle adjacent to the tracks?

She was injured in the ensuing train vs police vehicle collision.

Posted from Android

“Just goes to show how trains are simply out of mind for most people”

The AAR has been working like a mad man to keep the industry akin to the legendary Brigadoon since at least the late 60’s.
Go away, nothing to see here, come back tomorrow…

Unless they have to do PR damage control and they get a huffn’puff engine out and push it around the system, hand out some balloons and then tell everyone to stay the hell away from the property.

Working well for them IMHO.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

kbmiflyer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/traffic/hilltop-
> road-train-crash-road-closed/83-bc7590bd-2447-41b2
> -a7d8-e9cc7351dff3

First impression from the headline was the cop misjudged clearance and wasn't quite in the clear. Nope, AMTK got the cop car squarely in the #2 end. The cop parked on and parallel to the track!  That's not even a situational awareness failure.

TAW

kbmiflyer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> An Amtrak train took out a police car Thanksgiving
> night in Greensboro, NC.  Fortunately there were
> no occupants inside the car.  The police officer
> was apparently responding to a vehicle crash and
> parked a little to close to the tracks.
>
> https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/traffic/hilltop-
> road-train-crash-road-closed/83-bc7590bd-2447-41b2
> -a7d8-e9cc7351dff3


The real sad thing is that this isn't the first time it's happened in Greensboro this year.

Posted from Android

The accident scene had to be blocked off from traffic but there are better ways than to park DIRECTLY ON the tracks.

Maybe he is telling the Chief "I thought trains would stop for blue lights." ????????????

GenePoon Wrote:
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> The accident scene had to be blocked off from
> traffic but there are better ways than to park
> DIRECTLY ON the tracks.
>
> Maybe he is telling the Chief "I thought trains
> would stop for blue lights." ????????????
In many states the law is slow down and move left when approaching emergency vehicles. Officer just misjudged.

MdRailfan Wrote:
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> > Maybe he is telling the Chief "I thought trains
> > would stop for blue lights." ????????????
> In many states the law is slow down and move left
> when approaching emergency vehicles.

Good thing engineers ard not required to give their driver's license to a cop.

TAW

MdRailfan Wrote:
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> GenePoon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The accident scene had to be blocked off from
> > traffic but there are better ways than to park
> > DIRECTLY ON the tracks.
> >
> > Maybe he is telling the Chief "I thought trains
> > would stop for blue lights." ????????????
> In many states the law is slow down and move left
> when approaching emergency vehicles. Officer just
> misjudged.

So,,,,,,,,,,,do you suppose the officer expected the train "slow down and move over..."?????

LMAO!!! never seen a P42 with a steering wheel!!

MdRailfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> GenePoon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The accident scene had to be blocked off from
> > traffic but there are better ways than to park
> > DIRECTLY ON the tracks.
> >
> > Maybe he is telling the Chief "I thought trains
> > would stop for blue lights." ????????????

> In many states the law is slow down and move left
> when approaching emergency vehicles. Officer just
> misjudged.

Um, what????? Care to explain what you are saying and how that would have anything to do with what happened???

longliveSP Wrote:
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> Um, what????? Care to explain what you are saying and how that would have anything to do with what happened???

An officer expects all traffic to obey the flashing lights on their vehicle.
The train engineer did not obey the flashing lights on the vehicle (nor were they required to do so).
The officer misjudged the train's compliance with the law.

I do not know why the officer specifically chose to park on the tracks instead of on the safe side of the crossing protection.
I agree with TAW that with the first read of the headline I expected the police car to be too close to the rails, not squarely parked on the rails, tail end to the approaching train.
(More of a car being hit because the officer parking it did not realize that the train is over 10ft wide where the track is just over 4ft spaced on typically 7ft ties. It is easy to misjudge the width of trains.)

justalurker66 Wrote:
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> longliveSP Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Um, what????? Care to explain what you are
> saying and how that would have anything to do with
> what happened???
>
> An officer expects all traffic to obey the
> flashing lights on their vehicle.
> The train engineer did not obey the flashing
> lights on the vehicle (nor were they required to
> do so).
> The officer misjudged the train's compliance with
> the law.

You are joking, right?

It looked rather like the back to the future hit on the Delorean.   Glad to hear nobody was in it, but man.... square hit on the gauge, right down the track.

The other thing nobody has mentioned it the apparent lack of understanding on what the blue sign on the crossing is for.   If it was an accident scene, and they were blocking the site, they should have called it in....