NTSB determines cause of fatal train/truck collision
An inattentive driver and faulty brakes due to an improperly maintained vehicle were the probable cause of an accident in which a heavy commercial truck struck a California-bound Amtrak passenger train in the Nevada desert last summer killing six and injuring 16, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has revealed.
The accident occurred on June 24, 2011, when a 2008 Peterbilt truck-tractor pulling two empty trailers on northbound U.S. 95 struck the left side of an Amtrak train that was passing through a grade crossing en route from Chicago to Emeryville, Calif. The collision, which destroyed the truck-tractor and several passenger railcars, also ignited a fire that engulfed two railcars and part of a third. The accident killed the truck driver, the train conductor, and four train passengers; 15 train passengers and one crewmember were injured.
When the grade crossing signals activated, the truck, traveling at least 58 mph, was still more than 2,300 feet from the tracks, however, investigators found no evidence that the truck driver began braking until the front of the truck was less than 300 feet from the crossing.
“Although we’ll never know the exact cause of the truck driver’s inattention, we do know that if John Davis Trucking had provided its driver with a safe and properly maintained vehicle, this accident could have been avoided,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman
Reconstruction of the accident using a recording from a forward-facing video camera mounted on the front of the train as well as physical evidence helped investigators to determine that the truck struck the crew car of the train at 26-30 mph.
The investigation revealed that nine of the 16 brakes on the truck were either out-of-adjustment or inoperative. In addition, the anti-lock brake systems (ABS) of both trailers were not functional; wires to missing sensors were cut and zip-tied and wires to malfunction indicator lights had been disconnected, raising serious questions about the maintenance practices of the trucking company.