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Troopers: Speed Was Factor As Man Plows Into Train
February 17, 2012
Speed was a factor as a 24-year old man plowed his pickup truck into the side of a moving freight train north of Flomaton this morning.
William David Stewart of Irvington, Ala., was seriously injured in the 8:36 a.m. crash on Foshee Road near Hammac Road, about 10 miles from Flomaton. He was transported by LifeFlight to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.
The accident caused a minor diesel fuel leak from a tank on one of the engines. No one on the train was injured.
The crossing is marked by signs but no automated crossing arms or lights. Well over 100 feet of skids marks from the truck were evident on the asphalt leading up to the crossing.
Pictured: One person was seriously injured in this pickup truck versus train crash Friday morning north of Flomaton. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
25 Responses to “Troopers: Speed Was Factor As Man Plows Into Train”
Glad the driver is doing.
Generally if I’m traveling in a rural area and come up upon a RR track with no lights, bars, or stop sign I always stop before crossing. That 3-5 second pause is time well spent if it saves your life.
First I’d like to say thank you to those who have made remarks in defense of my son who was involved in this ACCIDENT. He is recovering and we are all giving God the glory that his life wasn’t lost. For those of you who are commenting without knowing all the circumstances, I’m glad God is more merciful than you are. Bill is a very good hearted, husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend to many…he is a hard worker and reaches out to help others in need. He is not the kind of man who doesn’t take responsiblity for his errors. I am not familiar with the area where this accident took place but have been told by many that it is easy to “be on top of it” before you realize it because of the layout of the road…the train comes out of the woods, there are no lights or barricades…just a stop sign. Bill saw the train as it began to cross the road, he tried to stop but the road was wet and the truck skidded on the wet pavement…he says he was not speeding. He was not trying to beat the train, he simply couldn’t stop. He says he never heard a horn….this man used the sleeve of his jacket to tie a tournquet around his arm to keep from bleeding to death after calling 911 himself…he has a long road to recovery and a family that depended on his income…I think he’s suffered enough without being bashed by people who don’t know the whole story. By the way, he was not texting…
REGARDING:
:Who cares what physics say. It feels faster”
We are tickled pink he survived and is able to write. As to what physics says, physics is independent, disinterested, honest. If a person makes an impossible claim, he may not be telling it exactly as it happened. Really, it only matters if you’re interested in the truth. If you’re not, then just ignore physics.
David for undamaged people
First let me say I am glad that the driver is doing good and I hope he makes a full recovery. I can’t believe that people is blaming the train for not sounding his horn or that there should be lights and crossing arms on the tracks. First it is the law that you come to a complete stop at all RR crossings, no matter which way you come from you have plenty of time to STOP.
Cbitter, I too know the victim and I know for a fact this was an accident I know bill very well and know that he is a very caucious driver. He as you said has to much on the line to give it up just to get were he’s going a little faster . Thank you for being one on here tht doesn’t look at the head line and assuming
Why are people bashing him? Who cares what physics say. It feels faster, it really does if you ever get in that magnitude of a wreck. But the man is alive. That’s what matters. Dude ima friend of your sister and even though we don’t know each other, I’ll be damn glad your home.
The man driving this truck was not “trying to beat the train” and how unsensitive do you have to be to say “guess the train won” . He was not “texting” . That is somones son, bother , husband, father and friend that you are acting like no big deal his fault..!! And although he was in the wrong there is circumstances on his part that is not being revealed. What low down self centered you must be!
i do not know that area. but after reading all these comments, i do have to believe that this was an accident. one side says that there are trees & no signals. i do agree that everyone should be careful at unmarked tracks. but ik this victim and he has a wife a baby and is a hard worker and was on the job at the time of this happening. ik that he was nto screwing around with so much on the line.
Years back, in Alabama anyway,
Any train crossing without warning lights or gates, had a STOP sign posted. You were required to stop at a railroad crossing.
The last time I was “up yonder way” I noticed the stop signs were gone.
in the rural parts of the woods, there are many secondary lines that have little train traffic, unlike the mainline CSX that runs along Hwy. 29. The branch lines can go for over a month and not have a train pass, so Locals don”t look for a train.
But…, when it does come along it is there! Sounds like being in the wrong place at the wrong time to me.
As children we were taught to: STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN!!
I was not there, and pray the driver is ok. But I have to agree with David. How does a vehicle increase it’s speed when the brakes are applied?
Sounds like just about the time people get used to nothing ever coming
down those tracks…BAMMMMMMMMMM!
No excues for the SPEED he must have been doing.
When your wrong your wrong be a man and say;.
“YEP.. I screwed up! ” Turn all sorts of RED and just
be glad your ALIVE.
REGARDING:
“When I locked my tires up the vehicle went faster. ”
So friction gave you additional kinetic energy? If you can figure out a way to bottle that, you’ll be rich beyond your wildest dreams because you’ve found out a way to break the First Law of Thermodynamics, create energy out of nothing.
David the impressed
Well, i know what happened here! The train was already in the crossing. The driver of the truck was very well speeding. That train is only allowed to go 10 mph! The driver of the truck just wasnt paying attention. Probably texting or something! How do u have 178 feet of skid marks and claim the driver of the train didnt sound his horn. You couldnt hear it anyway because your tires were probably skreetching to hell and back!!!
Ouch. In this corner we have ford pick-up weighing in at 5000 pounds. In the next corner we have csx 2054 weighing in at 5000 tons. Train wins with a first round knock out. The moral of the story is use common sence. Use caution when approaching a railroad crossing. Treat it as a yield or stop sign if you don’t see the warning arm or lights. The train always win. Hope the driver have a speedy recovery.
I travel over these tracks twice a day going to and from work. I stop EVERY time even though I KNOW a train very seldom travels these tracks! Always play it safe when approaching the tracks because you never know when a train is approaching. There are a lot of people that travel County Rd 18 on a daily basis. I do think that there needs to be more warning signs that you are approaching RR tracks because if you are not familiar with the area when you come around that curve coming from 113 those train tracks are on you before you know it. But on the other hand I have been slowing down to stop and have someone behind me whip out around me and even attempt to stop and speed over the tracks. So, it does have a lot to do with common sense. Glad this man is alive and will make a full recovery.
Hi, this is William Stewart, I am the one who hit this train. When I locked my tires up the vehicle went faster. And the driver of this train did not sound the horn.
With skid marks in excess of 100 feet, I fail to understand how the man was trying to “beat the train.” Did he see the train from further than 100 feet away, then decide he could not make it, and try to stop? This crossing has woods on either side of the road, so one cannot see a train approaching until it has began to cross the roadway.
That crossing does not have warning lights or cross arms. Anyone that travels this stretch of road knows trains seldom travel these tracks, but it pays to stop and look before crossing.
Looks like a Business truck….@ Bam..I’m w/you..he lost…hope he is OK!
Alot of the trains that come through there DO NOT use their horns. And most of the time people going through there and the trains are going way faster than they should be. People should just pay more attention to where they are going and to what around them…
Well bam if you knew the area you would probably know that until you get on top of the tracks you can not see either way on the tracks because of under brush and you also your coming around a curve too do yes it needs lights around the curve before you get too it also crossing arms for extra safety before someone gets killed their thank you
It says there are signs but NO lights or cross arms….just very sad…thats why you ALWAYS stop, look, and listen. Hope this man recovers quickly!!!
It is called driving to fast because there was 178 feet of skids marks where he hit the brakes plus hit the train hard enough to do that kind of damage. Also the train is only allowed to go 10 miles per hour on that track.
Bam, why would you think that, the train may not have been moving. I see no cross arms or lights. Only the driver knows for sure what happened, and he may not. Could have been a medical condition. Who knows?
Now you know those trains BLAST their horns, so I’m betting he tried to beat the train. Guess he lost.