NJ Transit and Amtrak Grade Crossing Accident/Things On The Tracks Thread

[ThirdRail]

It seems that every few days, something or someone decides to challenge a train to a joust. Instead of starting a bunch of threads, I'll just update this one.

Your first entry:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/car_stalled_on_railroad_tracks.html

NJ Transit train strikes car stalled on railroad tracks in Union
by Leslie Kwoh /The Star-Ledger
Thursday January 08, 2009, 4:49 PM

Two Clifton men escaped serious injury by mere seconds after their car stalled on the railroad tracks Wednesday night in New Providence and was struck by an NJ Transit train carrying about 200 passengers, police said.

Mario Jumbo, 39, and passenger Alfonso Jimenez, 31, were attempting to make a left turn onto Livingston Avenue from Central Avenue shortly before 7:30 p.m. but veered onto the railroad tracks instead, said Capt. Edward Catallo.

When they heard the whistle of an approaching train, the men tried unsuccessfully to push the Acura SUV off the tracks, Catallo said. With less than a minute to spare, however, they were forced to run to safety. Neither was injured in the collision, he said.

No one aboard the westbound Gladstone branch train was injured, said NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett, and the passengers were quickly escorted to another train going in the same direction. Three trains on the Gladstone line were delayed for up to an hour as a result of the accident, she said.

Authorities have charged Jumbo, the driver of the vehicle, with being an unlicensed driver and not having insurance, Catallo said.

[ThirdRail]

Don't let the location of the delay fool you. Even though this happened in Elberon, I'm sure NJT blamed Amtrak. 


http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/news/2009/0108/front_page/024.html



Man charged after driving car onto tracks

OCEAN TOWNSHIP — A Tinton Falls man is facing drunken-driving charges after he drove his car off an embankment and onto a passenger rail line last week.

On Jan. 1 at approximately 12:59 a.m., policewere called to a section of rail line located between Roosevelt and Norwood avenues in reference to a car crash, according to police reports. Officers arrived on the scene and found a vehicle on the northbound side of the railroad tracks.

According to reports, the driver of the vehicle, later identified as Michael Poushkin, 22, of Tinton Falls, and a passenger, had gotten out of the car prior to the officers arriving at the scene and were found to be uninjured.

Further investigation revealed that Poushkin drove his car west on Jerome Avenue to a dead end. He then continued along a dirt driveway at the end of Jerome Avenue, veered into a wooded area, drove down an embankment and came to rest on the railroad tracks, according to reports.

Poushkin was subsequently placed under arrest and charged with driving while intoxicated. He was transported to the Ocean Township Police Department for further processing.

NJ Transit had to delay trains in the area for approximately 30 minutes while the vehicle was removed from the tracks.

[lyra]

off an embankment and onto a passenger rail line

!!!

that's some skill

[JerseyGuy]

And today, there was a fatality at the Linden Station.

[rubengineer]

Guy was under the platform and put his head on the rail when the train was leaving.

[CrudeBoy]

So, he was a happy guy

[JerseyAveVet]

Somebody did the same thing at Dunellen in the 1980s.  He lay face-down on the track under the train until the train left and rolled over his neck.   

[ThirdRail]

I hate to be so pessimistic, but I expect this trend to continue. Traditionally, there are a lot of suicides from Thanksgiving to New Years. With the economy tanking and unemployment, you will see more of this.

Wrong Island RailRoad had two in the last 24 hours, and Amcrap had a 4 in the last week between Boston and Washington.


http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/train_strikes_and_kills_man_at.html

Train strikes and kills man at Linden station
by The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk
Monday January 12, 2009, 6:53 PM
A man was struck and killed by an eastbound NJ Transit train at the Linden station late this afternoon, and transit officials are calling it a "trespasser fatality."

NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said the man had apparently "put himself into the side of the train," sometime between 5:30 and 6 p.m. His body was found on the tracks, Stessel said. He has not been identified.

The train's engineer continued on, not realizing he had hit anyone. Transit officials are trying to determine which train hit the man.

The incident temporarily suspended service on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coastline. Service resumed with 20- to 30-minute delays, Stessel said.

Eastbound trains were bypassing the Linden and Rahway stations until transit police wrapped up the investigation, he said.

[hockeyman]

just look for the train with the most blood and guts on the wheels.

[PJrider]

NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said the man had apparently "put himself into the side of the train," sometime between 5:30 and 6 p.m. His body was found on the tracks, Stessel said. He has not been identified.

The train's engineer continued on, not realizing he had hit anyone. Transit officials are trying to determine which train hit the man.

First off, what the hell does "put himself into the side of the train" even mean?

Secondly, if it was not readily apparent from blood or damage to the train, does it really matter at this point which train it was?

[ThirdRail]

It's just a car. Don't afraid to abandon it if this happens to you.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/man_involved_in_accident_with.html



Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerRescue personnel from Manasquan and Sea Girt work to extricate the driver of a Nissan Pathfinder whose SUV was struck by a southbound NJ Transit train at the Sea Girt Avenue crossing as the train traveled from Spring Lake to Manasquan stations at about 9:15 a.m.



Man involved in accident with train in Manasquan dies
by Mary Ann Spoto/The Star-Ledger
Monday January 19, 2009, 5:39 PM

A Sea Girt man who was critically injured when he drove his car into the path of an oncoming NJ Transit train has died.

William Nixon, 51, died from his injuries late this afternoon at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, said hospital spokesman Robert Cavanaugh. He did not immediately have a time of death but said it was late this afternoon.


Stessel said a witness reported Nixon's 1997 Nissan Pathfinder drove onto the tracks as the security lights were flashing, the bells were sounding and the gates were descending. The witness told authorities Nixon's vehicle stopped on the track and was unable to move forward because traffic ahead was blocking his way, Stessel said. His SUV was struck broadside on the driver's side.

The incident took place at 9:10 a.m. at the Washington Avenue crossing in Manasquan near the Sea Girt border. New Jersey Coast Line train 4321 was on its way from Long Branch to Bay Head when it struck Nixon's vehicle, Stessel said.

About 75 passengers were aboard the train, but there were no injuries reported. The passengers were able to board the next train headed south and continue to their destinations. The total delay lasted about an hour.

[ThirdRail]

Another reminder to stay off the tracks 


http://www.baristanet.com/2009/02/second_suspected_suicide_in_bl.php


Man Killed At Bloomfield's Watsessing Station
Friday, February 13, 2009

Update: NJT has identified the deceased as Edward Pomponio, age 65, of Centereach, New York.
Another tragic death in Bloomfield has been confirmed. A 35-year-old man from New York was hit by a train at 11:30p.m. Wednesday night, and was pronounced dead by emergency responders, says NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel.

As the engineer of train #6280 approached Watsessing Station, he saw a man running down the middle of the track. The train was not slowing down - Watsessing Station was not a scheduled stop; the engineer sounded the horn and engaged the emergency brake - but could not stop the train before hitting the man. NJT police and Bloomfield police responded to the scene. The man's identity was not disclosed, pending notification of family.

NJT train #6280 left Montclair State University bound for New York Penn Station at 11:04p.m. The ten passengers on the train were offered bus transportation, but all elected to find their own way to NY.

[ThirdRail]

Another reminder to stay off the tracks 


http://www.baristanet.com/2009/02/second_suspected_suicide_in_bl.php


Man Killed At Bloomfield's Watsessing Station
Friday, February 13, 2009

Update: NJT has identified the deceased as Edward Pomponio, age 65, of Centereach, New York.
Another tragic death in Bloomfield has been confirmed. A 35-year-old man from New York was hit by a train at 11:30p.m. Wednesday night, and was pronounced dead by emergency responders, says NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel.

As the engineer of train #6280 approached Watsessing Station, he saw a man running down the middle of the track. The train was not slowing down - Watsessing Station was not a scheduled stop; the engineer sounded the horn and engaged the emergency brake - but could not stop the train before hitting the man. NJT police and Bloomfield police responded to the scene. The man's identity was not disclosed, pending notification of family.

NJT train #6280 left Montclair State University bound for New York Penn Station at 11:04p.m. The ten passengers on the train were offered bus transportation, but all elected to find their own way to NY.

Thank you William Griffin! Thank you for summing up my position. We need to crack down on people that put themselves in harms way. I'd like to see NJ create a law that is similar to a law in Rhode Island. It is illegal to be walk or stop on the right of way unless accompanied or authorized by railroad employees.

In other words, if you are on the tracks for any reason, you are automatically trespassing and in violation of state law.

End of story!


http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergenpolitics/39896547.html

Getting tough at train crossings
The Obamas should look in shelters for pets like this one.

Regarding "Train plows into pickup truck" (Record Online, Feb. 13):

Here we go again. Despite the Midland Avenue crossing at the Elmwood Park-Saddle Brook border having warning lights, plenty of signs alerting drivers not to stop on the tracks and painted lines marking a "danger zone," another driver in a mental fog manages to place his car smack in the path of an oncoming train.

The article mentions that the driver was issued a summons. How about taking away his driving privilege permanently? From time immemorial, drivers have been told not to stop on railroad tracks. They have been told not to proceed unless they can clear the tracks.

Signs are erected. Gates and lights are installed. And despite all this, some drivers blithely ignore a century of laws and common sense. Forget about putting their own lives in danger. What if the train is an express running at 50 or 60 miles an hour? The car would become 2 tons of flying steel and glass, possibly raining down on some innocent pedestrian or driver waiting for the train to pass.
After a car-train encounter on the Bergen Line.

For more than 30 years, I've been witness to and read about too many of these "accidents" on the Bergen and Main lines. It's about time NJ Transit urges the state to pass some brutally strict laws that severely punish drivers who pull stunts like this at rail crossings.

William Griffin

[ThirdRail]

Another reminder to stay off the tracks. 

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20090323/NEWS/90323017/1010/newsfront

BRIDGEWATER — A 47-year-old township man was struck by a NJ Transit commuter train and killed just before 10 p.m. Sunday on the Raritan Valley line near Central Avenue, west of Finderne Avenue in the Finderne section.
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Autopsy results are pending for John F. Alexander, who lived within walking distance of the scene, said Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest.

Alexander was struck by a NJ Transit commuter train traveling westbound, Forrest said.

A witness told authorities he saw the victim, who appeared to be deliberately on the rail line, just moments before being struck, Forrest said.

Forrest said the Alexander is suspected of consuming alcohol prior to being hit by the fast-moving train.

The Bridgewater Police Department, NJ Transit Police, CSX Transportation Railroad Police and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Squad were all involved in the investigation.

Michael Deak

[JerseyGuy]

There was a car on Track 2 (I don't know how it managed to get there) a few miles south of Jersey Ave. The car ran off the road on Livingston Ave, which parallels the train tracks. The car was unrecognizable after an Amtrak train hit it at 100 mph.