MEC&F Expert Engineers : 03/21/15

Saturday, March 21, 2015

PICKUP TRUCK DRIVER CITED FOR FAILURE TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN AFTER COLLISION WITH A SCHOOL BUS SENT 15 STUDENTS, 2 DRIVERS TO HOSPITAL




MARCH 19, 2015

SALISBURY TOWNSHIP, LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Fifteen Pequea Valley students taken to the hospital after a pickup truck struck their school bus Thursday have all been released, officials said.

“There were a few bumps and bruises,” said John Bowden, chief of finance and operations for the school district. “Everyone walked off on their own.”

The school bus driver, Judy Fasnacht, 61, of Gap, suffered minor injury and will remain in the hospital until Friday, Lancaster General Hospital spokeswoman Frieda Schmidt said. The pickup truck driver, Elijah Williard, 21, of Lebanon, was treated and released Thursday.

The students are high school and middle school students in the district, so their ages are 12-18.

The 7 a.m. wreck occurred at Slaymaker Hill and  Amish roads, which is west of Route 772 in the Kinzers area of Salisbury Township.

According to state police, Williard was driving his Dodge Ram pickup truck north on Hensel Road when he failed to stop at a stop sign at Slaymaker Hill Road.
Williard's truck hit the school bus as it was traveling east on Slaymaker Hill Road.

Bowden said the truck hit the driver’s side of the bus, in the area of the front wheel.

The bus is a 72-passenger bus owned by Brightbill Transportation, which provides transportation for the district, Bowden said.

The bus was about halfway through picking up its students for the school day.
Police cited Williard with failing to stop at a stop sign.

Source: http://lancasteronline.com

9 INJURED IN CRASH INVOLVING FIRE TRUCK, PICKUP TRUCK IN DOYLESTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA








MARCH 21, 2015

DOYLESTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

Nine people were hurt after a fire truck and a pick-up truck collided on an icy road in Doylestown, Bucks County.
The accident occurred shortly after 8:00 a.m. in the southbound lanes of Route 611.

The truck was heading to the fire training school at the time.

Preliminary reports indicate a pick-up truck was crossing the bridge heading south when it struck the fire truck.

The fire truck then veered off into the northbound lanes before crossing into oncoming traffic. The truck was then struck by two SUV's.

A total of nine people were injured, including members of the Richlandtown Fire Company, who were treated for minor injuries.

Route 611 was closed in both directions while the road was cleared.

The accident is under investigation.
Source: http://6abc.com

ANOTHER HAZ MAT TRAIN DERAILMENT: SEVERAL TANK CARS LEAK METHANOL AFTER VALLEY MILLS, TEXAS TRAIN DERAILMENT





MARCH 21, 2015

VALLEY MILLS, TEXAS

UPDATE:
 

RESIDENTS ALLOWED TO RETURN HOME AFTER BNSF TRAIN HAULING METHANOL DERAILS

Several Bosque County residents were evacuated Saturday evening after a BNSF train carrying a hazardous chemical derailed. 
The people who lived in the four evacuated homes were allowed to return home hours after the derailment.
The train derailed just after 5 p.m. Saturday, along highway 6 about a mile or so outside of Valley mills. 
No one was injured in the derailment however 11 train cars overturned while the engine and the caboose remained upright. 
According to DSP Spokesman Trooper D.L. Wilson five of those train cars were carrying a hazardous chemical called Methanol.  
Bosque County Emergency Management Coordinator Tim Jeske said crews immediately evacuated a one-thousand foot radius around the train which included just four homes. 
"We're just at a holding stage monitoring for environmental impacts,” says Jeske. “We'll be out here as long as we need to remedy the situation and make sure and monitor any damage to the environment and things like that.” 
Officials didn't specify how much of the chemical leaked but say they're no longer worried about its danger to the public. 
Emergency responders say BNSF Railway hazmat crews were on their way to the scene as of 8:30 p.m. Saturday night to takeover the cleanup process and the investigation.







//-------------------------------------//
 

About a dozen cars, several of which had been carrying methanol, have overturned in a train derailment north of Valley Mills, TX. People in the surrounding area have been evacuated by a hazmat team which is dealing with the chemical leak at the scene.

Five of the derailed cars were carrying methanol, Department of Public Safety spokesman Trooper D.L. Wilson said, reported AP.  Two of the methanol-hauling tanks have started leaking. 

No injuries were reported as a result of the incident but as a precaution, Wilson confirmed, ten homes in the area were evacuated. 

Bosque County Emergency Management are still on the major train derailment about a mile north of the Valley Mills city limits after multiple train cars overturned and started leaking chemicals. 

“VMVFD unit and multiple agency are work a MAJOR HAZMAT EMERGENCY just north of the city limits,” the city’s fire department said on its Facebook page. 

CBS Texas reports that seven of the derailed cars were flatbeds carrying drill pipes in addition to the five tankers containing methanol. Overall the train was made up of 40 cars.

Hazmat teams are monitoring air and water conditions at the scene, saying their biggest concern is the environment, now that everyone downwind have been evacuated, reported Kristianna Gross of News Channel 25 in Waco. 

3 of the 11 cars that overturned are tankers carrying unknown substance. Hazmat crews just arrived. pic.twitter.com/w2NTPHVfxR
— Kristianna Gross (@KXXV_Kristianna) March 21, 2015 

The cause of the derailment remains unclear at present, but heavy rainfall in the area may have been a factor. The fire department urged residents to stay clear of State Highway 6 and FM 217. 

So far no word on any injuries. I was told cause of the derailment is still unknown at this time. pic.twitter.com/evrEZQJyKm
— Kristianna Gross (@KXXV_Kristianna) March 21, 2015
Source: http://rt.com

TRAIN PEDESTRIAN CASUALTIES IN MISSOURI INCREASE 25%; VEHICLE-TRAIN COLLISIONS REMAIN THE SAME




MARCH 21, 2015

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI

The number of deaths and injuries involving train collisions and pedestrian deaths has increased in Missouri from 2013 to 2014.

The data takes into account collisions caused by crossing vehicles and trespassing pedestrians. There were 20 pedestrian casualties in 2014, up 25% from 2013. Vehicle-train collisions at crossings remained the same in 2014 with 48 crashes and two fatalities.

"We are glad to see a low number of highway-rail grade crossing fatalities for a second consecutive year, but are concerned with the increase in trespassing casualties on railroad tracks and property in Missouri," Rick Mooney, Missouri Operation Lifesaver State Coordinator, said in a statement. "Educating the public to reduce trespassing injuries and fatalities continues to be a challenge. 

The tracks are not a place to walk or play."

As a part of the "See Tracks? Think Train!" campaign, Operation Lifesaver has released tips for staying safe around train tracks:

·         Never drive or walk around lowered gates
·         Never race a train to the crossing
·         Only drive over crossings if you are sure you can clear the tracks
·         Do not trespass on railroad property
·         Remember trains cannot stop quickly - it can take a mile or more to stop

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NTSB TO HOLD FORUM ON THE DANGERS OF RAILROAD TRESPASSING
MARCH 11, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC

The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public forum March 24-25 on the dangers of trespassing on the railroad right-of-way.

While railroad tracks have long held a cultural resonance with Americans, featured in motion pictures, TV shows, music videos and photography, they are private property.  And they can be a deadly place. In 2013, 476 people were killed and 432 were injured in trespassing accidents, according to preliminary data from the Federal Railroad Administration.

The forum, Trains and Trespassing: Ending Tragic Encounters, will be chaired by NTSB Board Member Robert L. Sumwalt. It will feature speakers who have been seriously injured by trains; those whose communities have been affected; and railroad employee assistance program employees whose train crews have struck people on railroad property. The forum will draw on the expertise of railroads, regulators, and researchers, among others, to review the diversity of trespassing accidents and incidents and look at current and future prevention strategies.

The forum will be held at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center, located at 429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C. However, on March 25, the forum will include a tour of Norfolk Southern’s safety train at Union Station.
More information about the forum can be found here: http://www.ntsb.gov/trespassing

The public can view the forum in person or by live webcast on the NTSB's website. As soon as they are available, an agenda and webcast details will be posted.