Train hits other train right after it switches track

[kellyhound]

June 14 2006

Federal investigators late blamed last
summer's Madera County train collision on operator
error by the crew of one of the trains.
Madera is a few miles northwest of Fresno

The report on the collision June 14 2006 on the
Burlington Northern Santa Fe line near Road 26 and
Avenue 19, just north of Madera, also said a
breakdown product of cocaine was found in the
blood of the train's conductor.

One crewmember
suffered a broken hip. Another
is in critical condition, and the rest suffered minor injuries.
Some news sources state three people jumped, some
say four.

It said that the conductor's cocaine use "may
have contributed to the cause of the
accident." But it went on to say that neither
blood nor urine test results would permit a
conclusion about whether the conductor was
impaired.

BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said the railroad would
be unable to comment until it had reviewed the
report, which the Federal Railroad Administration
released after close of business Friday.

The report placed blame for the accident solely on
the crew of a train traveling south toward Fresno.

It discredited crew accounts that a signal failed
or that glare from the sunrise -- the accident
happened shortly before 6 a.m. -- blinded the crew
to a signal.

It said that the signals were tested, and no
defects were found. A re-enactment of the accident
showed that all signals were clearly visible.
Astronomical records did not suggest that sunlight
was a problem.

"Despite claims to the contrary, there is no
basis for accepting the claims of crew members
that their signal went clear or their vision was
hampered by the sunrise," the report
concluded.

Right before the collison you can see someone jumping off the train.