Midland train crash
Midland train crash | |
---|---|
Details | |
Date | November 15, 2012 4:36 PM |
Location | Midland, Texas |
Coordinates | 31°59′08″N 102°05′37″W / 31.985629°N 102.093495°W |
Country | United States |
Operator | Union Pacific Railroad |
Incident type | Collision |
Cause | Failure of city and organizers to comply with railroad permits and safety |
Statistics | |
Trains | 1 |
Deaths | 4 |
Injured | 16 |
The Midland train crash was a rail crossing accident that occurred on November 15, 2012 in
Accident
At 4:36 p.m. on November 15, 2012, an eastbound
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta made a statement expressing condolences to the victims.[7]
National Transportation Safety Board investigation
Accident investigators from the
In November 2013, the NTSB issued its report, concluding that the probable cause of this collision was "the failure of the city of Midland and the parade organizer, “Show of Support, Military Hunt, Inc.” (Show of Support), to identify and mitigate the risks associated with routing a parade through a highway – railroad grade crossing." The NTSB also concluded that the city of Midland failed to follow and enforce its own ordinances, allowed the Show of Support parade to take place without a permit from 2009 to 2012, and failed to notify the railroad in advance of the parade.[10]
Union Pacific's installation and programming of the crossing signals
Following several months of investigation it was learned that: 1) Union Pacific was reimbursed with taxpayers' dollars to install signal gates at the crossing; 2) Union Pacific agreed with the State of Texas that when Union Pacific installed the signal gates at the crossing Union Pacific would program the signals to provide motorists with at least 30 seconds of warning time before the arrival of a train;[11] 3) despite its agreement with the State of Texas that Union Pacific would program the signals to give motorists at least 30 seconds of warning time, Union Pacific programmed the signal system to provide only 25 seconds of warning time;[11]
Victims
The four veterans killed in the accident had all been wounded in combat overseas:[12]
Name | Branch | Decorations |
---|---|---|
Lawrence Boivin | United States Army | Silver Star, Purple Heart |
William Lubbers | United States Army | 3x Bronze Star, Purple Heart
|
Joshua Michael | United States Army | 2x Purple Heart |
Gary Stouffer | United States Marine Corps | Purple Heart |
References
- ^ "NTSB: Train Was Traveling Under 70 Mph Speed Limit". Associated Press. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ^ White, Taylor (16 November 2012). "NTSB to use Midlander's film footage". Midland Reporter-Telegram. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ^ Palmer, Audrie (15 November 2012). "Four killed, 16 injured in parade accident". Midland Reporter-Telegram. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ^ Koppel, Nathan; Bustillo, Miguel (25 October 2013). "Before Fatal Midland Train Crash, a Litany of Errors". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ^ "Lights Flashed Before Truck Entered Crossing in Train Crash". San Antonio Express-News. 18 November 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ "New Details Released in NTSB Train Crash Documents".
- ^ "Defense Secretary Panetta comments on Midland tragedy". Midland Reporter-Telegram. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ^ a b "Officials: Vets' float crossed track after signals". CBS News. 18 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ^ "Midland train crash: Float crossed as warnings sounded, NTSB says". Los Angeles Times. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ "Synopsis of Report, Railroad Grade Crossing Collision, Midland, Texas, November 15, 2012" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. November 15, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 16, 2014.
- ^ a b "Midland warning seen as too brief - 30 seconds' notice planned at crossing". San Antonio Express-News. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
- Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 17 November 2012.