Witness to train-truck collision: 'I've never been so close to something so scary'
The aftermath of the crash of an Amtrak passenger train into a semitrailer Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor Township.
Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com
“I’ve never been so close to something so dramatic and scary,” said Bob Zucker, speaking early this week, days after the accident.
Zucker, who lives on the north side of the Huron River just north of Ann Arbor, said he had come across the bridge on North Maple Road near Huron River Drive Saturday afternoon when he saw the truck on the south side of the bridge. He realized the driver must not have noticed the 20-ton load limit sign for the bridge until after he had turned off Huron River Drive. At that point, his only recourse was to back up.
That was a problem, though, because cars kept coming on Huron River Drive and turning onto Maple, blocking his path. Zucker decided to stop and help. He was trying to direct traffic and make some room for the driver to back up when the lights and warning bells at the crossing started going off. The gate came down on the semitrailer.
Zucker said he managed to push the gate up with his hands, hoping the driver could continue to back up. But seconds later, he saw the westbound train headed straight for him.
“I said, ‘I’ve got to get out of here,’ ” he said. He sprinted maybe 30 feet away and covered his head. He said he was afraid debris would come flying from the impact.
Fortunately, nothing hit him, and no one, including the truck driver, was injured, but the impact severed the trailer. The truck’s load of kayaks partially spilled on the ground.
After Amtrak inspections, the train was able to go on its way, though it was delayed for several hours after the 12:50 p.m. accident. Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputies investigated. Spokesman Derrick Jackson said the case has not been closed yet, and he is waiting to hear if any other agencies are investigating. Amtrak officials did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday.
Zucker, who is director of the Addiction Research Center at the University of Michigan Health System, said the accident left him shaken, and the mental image of the train about to strike the truck stayed with him throughout the day and even into the next.
He never got to talk to the truck driver, and said he hopes that he will not be haunted by the memory of the accident.
“I was just trying to be a good guy as we all need to be some of the time.”
View Amtrak-semi crash in a larger map
Comments
PineyWoodsGuy
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 7:20 p.m.
Doesn't anyone care to know the identity of the consignee of the kayaks?
Craig Lounsbury
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 2:36 p.m.
actually it is very pertinent to the story. I t speaks in part as to why the driver was on a road he had no business being on.
Bear
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 8:29 p.m.
no, not pertinent to the story. Certainly not an interesting aspect nor anyone's business unless you are an insurance adjuster.
Dirty Mouth
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 6:54 p.m.
And the solution is more cargo trains!!!! DUH!
Kea
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 5:31 p.m.
I'm puzzled. There's a lot of room between the railroad tracks and the bridge, so why didn't the driver just pull forward off the tracks?
jackdaniels
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 3:54 a.m.
probably panicked and perhaps stalled the rig
Usual Suspect
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 4:52 p.m.
"The train was able to go on its way, though it was delayed for several hours" Only several hours? That means it still had a pretty good chance of getting to Chicago closer to it's scheduled arrival time than usual for this route!
Craig Lounsbury
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 4:48 p.m.
The truck driver should have never turned down that road. One can clearly see the bridge from Huron River Drive. With a truck that big he should have pulled over and walked to the bridge. For that matter he shouldn't have been on Huron River Drive at all unless he was going directly to a delivery on Huron River drive. Its not a truck route.
timjbd
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 4:38 p.m.
This is the second story in two days of truck drivers going where they should not go and causing mayhem. Not surprising as the trucking industry has been squeezing the blood out of truck drivers for quite a while, now. High diesel prices, competition from Mexican drivers working at rock-bottom pay: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/business/us-and-mexico-sign-trucking-agreement.html?_r=0 ..having to drive long hours on little sleep. Time to get long haul shipping off the trucks and back on the trains? Save the trucking for short runs from train depots to destination.
MgoBlueMomma
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 4:20 p.m.
Glad everyone was OK in this matter. I am sure it was a really scary incident to be involved in. Hopefully truck drivers would look at the routes a bit better and consider ALL the elements. A couple years ago Amtrak has a similar incident where a truck driver went on a road because was lost and not familiar from the area.His low boy trailer got stuck on the hill causing a train to derail when they collided. Not the trains fault in either incident.
Elaine F. Owsley
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 3:50 p.m.
There must be some kind of sign south on Maple because, in the 40 odd years I've been driving that Huron River Drive section, I don't believe I've ever seen a semi, or even a smaller truck. Be interesting to know where he was headed. Also, you never win up against a train, kids. They can't stop in that short distance.
notnecessary
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 3:45 p.m.
@Billy - my guess is actually the issue would have been the height of the truck not the weight. If I remember correctly that bridge is very short and the truck probably would have struck the top. A garbage truck can travel that bridge which is much heavier but also shorter than the 13' this truck probably was
notnecessary
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 11:13 p.m.
Which means it's at least 13'
Bear
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 8:23 p.m.
the average tractor/trailer is 13' 6"
Woman in Ypsilanti
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 2:28 p.m.
Another location for a "no trucks" sign!
Nicholas Urfe
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1:34 p.m.
Yeah, trains are safe. Sure. Just keep telling yourself that. And when the railroad is shut down because the tracks are blocked from an accident investigation, just keep telling yourself that they're efficient. And high speed trains? They're even better!
UpperDecker
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 4:39 p.m.
How often do freeways get shut down for accidents (which usually have a fatality involved)? You are trying to blame the train for something that was caused by a truck...
Nicholas Urfe
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 7:59 p.m.
UpperDecker - how many hours was the train service shut down?
UpperDecker
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 3:46 p.m.
hmm you did see the part about how nobody was injured and the train was still good enough to continue on its route right? That seems to prove that they are rather safe...
Gerry
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 3:29 p.m.
Another example of rightwing ideologues having to take every degree that the Earth rotates, and turning it into some kind of ideological statement. I appreciate and use the train regularly, by the way.
djacks24
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 2:35 p.m.
Yes, trains are safe. It's just that cars and trucks keep crossing their path.
Pomelo
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 2:11 p.m.
Indeed, comparing train vs. auto accidents on a daily or even yearly basis clearly plants the overwhelming numbers for safety and efficiency on the side of--oh right. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year http://www.mcaleerlaw.com/what-we-do/train-accident-statistics 1000 per year vs. 30,000 to 40,000. I'll take a train and the chance of a delay en route to Chicago any day over the very likely chance that someone drunk/sleepy/texting will turn me into a smudge on the Jersey wall. Or that I'd do it to someone else.
nvragain
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1:58 p.m.
Go ride your bike somewhere
Top Cat
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1:23 p.m.
"I was just trying to be a good guy as we all need to be some of the time." Thank you Mr. Zucker.
Tom Teague
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 4:07 p.m.
Absolutely. Sometimes you just gotta be a good citizen.
Jim Osborn
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:12 p.m.
The crossing accident at Maple and Huron River Drive was easily preventable. What is lacking are better crossing signs that are much more visible and in this specific case. Either signage on HRD that alerts trucks not to turn north onto Maple or a turn around place if they do is needed. Backing over railroad tracks onto Huron River Drive is not the thing to do. We should be thankful that a load of boats was damaged instead of school bus or a motor home with passengers, driven by a driver new to the area. Yes, this is a "legal crossing" and this is a big part of the problem. So much more can be done to make crossings safer, as we increase the usage of passenger trains. Trains are often kept at just under 79 MPH, which requires a much lower set of inadequate standards. The crossing lights are dim, incandescent bulbs, unchanged from the 1940s. Police cars use bright LED lights that flash, attracting attention from ΒΌ mile away, even in bright sunlight. They do not cost much. The gates are mostly a dull off-white, blending in with the cloudy skies, as are the familiar cross bucks. Germans use a bright red and white barbershop combination that passively attracts attention. The state of Ohio has proposed a similar cross buck. I remember racing on the German Autobahn, at night, that paralleled a set of tracks and I could see each crossing. The length of time from the first warning bell until the train actually arrives can be as little as 19 seconds and in actual practice, less. In crowded intersections, this does not leave enough time for drivers to react and then clear the crossing. Last year, 4 teens were killed in western Wayne County while racing to "beat a train" the railroad and city's language. Most likely, the driver never saw the dim warning lights until too late to stop and never saw the crossing warnings at all. People want high speed rail, which is wonderful in Europe, but Europeans also have made their crossings much safer, at little additional cost.
Usual Suspect
Fri, May 31, 2013 : 3:46 p.m.
"An impatient teen is speeding and sees a group of slow moving cars, some stopped. A perfect time to pass them all, so he does." OK, that's my answer - it's people that have become dim.
Jim Osborn
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 9:45 p.m.
"djacks24" and "usualsuspect" - You make my point. An impatient teen is speeding and sees a group of slow moving cars, some stopped. A perfect time to pass them all, so he does. The dim lights are not seen. If they had been bright LED lights such as the ones police cars use, this driver would had known that something was happenign and hesitated and not passed. Sure this accident still may have happened. But if your child were one of the passengers, in that car, or a car in the future, which type of ctrossing woudl you want? a mdern one or a 1940s era one? "usualsuspect" - Cars once had no brake lights and until recently, no center brake light. Until the 1970s, no seat bealts with shoulder straps. Until 1967, no collapible steering columns. Antilock braks are new. Must I go on? Brighter LEDs and better signs at crossings can make crossings safer and reduce accidents. Why keep 1940s safety standards? Our roads do not in other areas.
Usual Suspect
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 4:46 p.m.
How is it the lights are now too dim? They have been bright enough for decades. Did they recently actually become dimmer, or is it drivers these days who have become dimmer?
djacks24
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 2:32 p.m.
"Last year, 4 teens were killed in western Wayne County while racing to "beat a train" the railroad and city's language. Most likely, the driver never saw the dim warning lights until too late to stop and never saw the crossing warnings at all. " I know the accident you are referring to. Even if they didn't see the warning lights, there is video from surveillance cameras nearby that showed several other drivers did see them and were stopped. The teens passed by several stopped cars before crossing the tracks to be hit by the train. So, essentially video contradicts your presumption in this case.
hawkhulk
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:07 p.m.
Where was the direction of the train and what route was it?
Cendra Lynn
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 5:21 p.m.
You could also look at the photo. There's only one route along HR Drive...
Homeland Conspiracy
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 2:18 p.m.
You might want to read the article....just sayin'
Cindy Heflin
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:44 p.m.
The train was westbound, as the article indicates. Here's the link to the original story, which has more information about the train: http://www.annarbor.com/news/amtrak-train-strikes-semi-trailer-in-ann-arbor-township/
Billy
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 12:03 p.m.
"The truck's load of kayaks partially spilled on the ground." Wait...kayaks pushed it over the 20 ton limit? So what's the total weight of an empty trailer with tractor?
Useless
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 5:17 p.m.
A completely empty tractor and trailer would weigh in the neighborhood of 15 tons.