amtrak crash 1993 victims

Then he noticed a piece of timber. The Coast Guard did not arrive on the scene until 4:25 a.m., and it was another hour before the first helicopter arrived to assist in the rescue efforts. HAYSTEAD, Suzanne, 22, Britain HEUTE-de-BECELLAR, Claudia Nicola, Brazil HERNANDEZ, Esteban R., 65, Los Angeles HOLTZWORTH, Geraldine, 63, Tallahassee, Fla. HOLTZWORTH, William John, 73, Tallahassee, Fla. LEONARD, Mary Ellen, 84, St. Petersburg, Fla. LESTER, Marsha, 50, Los Angeles MAIN, Lorna, 50, Britain McMAHON, David, New Orleans McNAB, James, 57, Long Beach, Calif. McNAB, Janice, 55, Long Beach, Calif. NEWTON, Eric, 44, Kissimmee, Fla. PEARCE, Billie Patricia, 62, Reynoldsville, Pa. POOLE, Dorothy, Tallahassee, Fla. POOLE, Harold, 68, Tallahassee, Fla. POWELL, Olga, Tampa, Fla. QUAINTANCE, Ronald, 44, Jackson, Miss. As of Wednesday, at least 13 remained hospitalized. The 3,000-horsepower, 240-ton engine flew across the bayou, embedding in about 46 feet of mud on the opposite bank. The first of its three locomotives slammed into the displaced span, causing that part of the bridge to collapse into the water beneath. The crash occurred in a remote area north of downtown Mobile. Another 103 were injured. Moreover, the cost to District agencies to enhance emergency preparedness is $250 million. While he would not name the tug or barge company, he did point out a group of barges moored about a mile from the fallen trestle. The FBI said a tugboat pushing six barges loaded with concrete and coal might have rammed and weakened the trestle shortly before the Sunset Limited arrived. Her upkeep was funded partly by a trust fund set up by Amtrak and CSX, which owned the bridge. Helicopter medical units from the University of South Alabama Medical Center were among the first units on the scene. Anyone can read what you share. The National Transportation Safety Board sought to interview the pilot and three crew members of a tugboat that had been pushing six barges, one of which officials say hit the bridge in fog shortly before the train wreck. A Conrail freight train collided with the Amtrak train. The list was compiled from information provided by Amtrak, the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences and bureau reports of The Associated Press: ANDERSON, Shirley, 55, Portland, Ore. BALL, Maxine, 69, Gibsonton, Fla. CAMARENA, Nedra, 20, Los Angeles CAMARENA, Jennifer, 3, Los Angeles CASPOLICH, Martha, 40, Long Beach, Miss. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Accompanied by . This had put it a half-hour behind schedule. Dopheide said he climbed back inside to see if anyone had been left behind. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com ), Since his brother died in the 1993 crash of the Sunset Limited, Tom Russ of Foley had never visited the scene of the accident. The accident killed 16 people and injured 175. The last three victims of Amtrak's worst disaster were recovered Friday, raising the death toll to 47 as investigators puzzled over conflicting time logs tracking the Sunset Limited into a foggy bayou. The train derailed due to a collapsed culvert. Andrea's wheelchair made boarding more difficult than for other passengers, but she was thrilled about her first train ride. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Archer, special agent in charge of the Mobile office of the FBI, said his investigators were looking into three possible causes: sabotage, structural defects and the likelihood that the bridge had been rammed by barges. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Their Amtrak train to Chicago collided with a dump truck at a crossing killing the two women and another passenger who succumbed on Tuesday - 82-year-old Binh Phan, of Kansas City, Missouri. Accompanied by her parents on her first train trip, 11-year-old Andrea Chancey couldn't sleep despite the steady rocking of the Amtrak coach. Alabama Gov. The accident, one of the worst on American rails since World War II and the deadliest in Amtrak's 23-year history, occurred about 3 A.M., when the Sunset Limited from Los Angeles was crossing Big. Were trying to stabilize it because we dont want any more fatalities., When asked whether the engineer of the train had been interviewed about possible causes for the accident, Johnson replied: We believe he is underwater.. The crew of the Mauvilla did not make a rescue call until 3:08 a.m., but did manage to pull seven survivors out of the swamp. (AP Photo/Mark Foley, File). The train struck two CSX workers walking along their train. "Some people were hysterical. A tugboat appeared, shining a high-intensity beam of light on the wreckage. It was not known how fast the Sunset Limited was rolling. The Empire Builder, which runs between Chicago and Seattle-Portland, derailed near the Canadian border at around 4 p.m. local time Saturday, killing three of the 141 passengers and leaving seven. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. At the scene of the Sunset Limited crash in 2003, he said, "They let me out on the bank and I crawled up through the briars and rip-rap" with another man to begin assisting passengers. Twenty-three years after the most deadly disaster in Amtrak's history, visitors came to the scene outside Mobile on Thursday to bear witness and let 47 roses fall into the murky waters. The train struck a fire engine at a grade crossing. We were scared of the water catching on fire.". Three people have died and at least 50 injured after an Amtrak Southwest Chief train hit a dump truck at a public crossing and derailed near Mendon, north of Marshall. A graduate of Yale University, Hale joined a Connecticut regiment in 1775 and served in the successful siege of read more, On September 22, 1945, Gen. George S. Patton tells reporters that he does not see the need for this denazification thing and compares the controversy over Nazism to a Democratic and Republican election fight. Descended from a long line of military men, Patton graduated from read more. Traveling at 72 mph (116 kph), the lead locomotive reached the bridge and jumped the track at the spot where the rails were bent by the barge collision. A fire of unknown cause took place in a passenger car. It shifted with the current and the weight inside, said Mobile Police Chief Harold Johnson. After briefly attending Wright State University and a failed marriage, Chancey wound up back on the Mississippi coast in Biloxi, where she lives today in an apartment with an assistance dog. On the other side of the trestle was the third engine, which had pulled the train; it, too, was on its side in the mud, charred and mangled. The crash occurred at around 1 . 0. As a result, the track circuit controlling the bridge approach block signals remained closed (intact) and the nearest signal continued to display a clear (green) aspect. Too much time has passed, he said. As a result of this economic disaster, the District itself is currently projected to lose $200 million in tax revenue over the next year. Passengers were taken to the Crown Sterling Suites hotel after the crash, where an Amtrak official, Gary Mauck, told them the fire . Tom Russ, brother of Sunset Limited crash victim Ernie Russ, speaks on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016. The injured were taken from. On Monday, an Amtrak train crashed into a dump truck at a crossing in rural Missouri, killing three and leaving an unspecified number injured. A string of crashes involving Amtrak trains is rekindling memories for survivors of the passenger service's 1993 tragedy, its deadliest accident ever. The towboat's pilot, Willie Odom, was not properly trained on how to read his radar and so, due to very poor visibility in heavy fog and his lack of experience, did not realize he was off course. It was left to relatives to tell her that her parents had died. The Associated Press. But she does remember a few people who got her out of the wreckage, including Ivory, who had decided to take the train to North Carolina to see his wife only after missing a commercial flight. Transportation Secretary Federico F. Pena, who flew to the disaster scene, said the transportation safety board was investigating the possibility of a barge hitting the trestle. Within two days, three other young men were murdered. The Chief, who arrived at the scene by helicopter shortly after the derailment, said, "It was like coming upon a ball of fire in a dense fog. The highway patrol said Kim Holsapple, 56 . It travels three times a week from Los Angeles to Miami, covering 3,066 miles across eight states and making 50 stops. But it was so foggy you really couldn't see the water.". Were looking at them, he said, because one of those barges has a big dent in it.. I took him and shoved him out and hollered for someone to take the baby. Four of the eight coaches also plunged into the bayou. It took a jury less than 90 minutes to find Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian not guilty of all charges in connection with the May 2015 derailment of Train 188, concluding years of legal twists over the crash that left eight people dead and more than 200 injured. Mr. Archer said a freight train crossed the bridge 54 minutes before the passenger train arrived. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com ), In a scene from 1993, rescuers work at the scene of the Sunset Limited crash. There was a kid in the water having trouble, Paiz said. The train struck a dump truck at a grade crossing. For a while, the smell of diesel fuel took him back to the scene of the crash; he figures his work in oil fields where diesel is abundant helped him tamp down the response. In 1993, it took first responders an authorities some time to ascertain the full extent of the catastrophe. His unit, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade (Light) of the 23rd (Americal) Division, was charged with the murder of over 200 Vietnamese civilians, read more, On September 22, 1975, Sara Jane Moore aims a gun at President Gerald Ford as he leaves the Saint Francis Hotel in San Francisco, California. DOZENS ARE KILLED IN WRECK OF TRAIN IN ALABAMA BAYOU, https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/23/us/dozens-are-killed-in-wreck-of-train-in-alabama-bayou.html. "I had my head on her belly and she was rubbing me.". Finally, he said, someone opened a safety exit and the water poured in, cold and fast. He wondered both why he survived and why he couldn't save more people. Born with severe cerebral palsy, their girl would need assistance the rest of her life; she still uses a wheelchair and has home health-care aides who cook and clean for her. Three people were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into a car in Northern California, authorities said. The train struck a tractor-trailer at a grade crossing. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Or was it simply luck? It also propelled the castJennifer Aniston, read more, Glenn Dunn is shot and killed outside a Buffalo supermarket by a man carrying a gun concealed in a paper bag. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. As television viewers around the world phoned in donations in read more, In the North Sea, the German U-9 submarine sinks three British cruisers, the Aboukir, the Hogueand the Cressy, in just over one hour. 34083, sailed off the end of the bridge and into the bayou. Forty-seven people died and more than 100 others were hurt. Odom did not respond to an interview request. Nicholas Barchie, the president of Warrior and Gulf, did not respond to repeated calls for comment. metallurgists were being flown in to determine if the heavy metal barges had played a role in damaging the trestle. The boat had no compass or nautical charts to assist in navigation on the foggy night and, without realizing it, Odeon turned into the Big Bayou Canot, an area where barges are prohibited. Bill Crosson of Tallahassee, Fla., and his wife, Vivian, who were passengers in another car, said they barely escaped drowning. "I was asleep, and a jolt woke me up, knocked me from my seat, and by the time I awoke, water was coming into the car.". Several of the passengers were elderly. Investigators said the bridge had been struck by a wayward barge in fog not long before. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! While alligators normally flee a disturbance as big as a train crash, some passengers in the water-filled cars worried about the snakes, which might be more venturesome. Ashore, he found the 3-year-old and his mother. The settlement will be presented to U.S. District Judge Richard Vollmer A locomotive erupted into flames, burning its crew. "They pulled each other out of that train. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, read more, Captain Ernest Medina is acquitted of all charges relating to the My Lai Massacre of March 1968. An Amtrak train headed to Miami derails near Mobile, Alabama, killing 47 people on September 22, 1993. Seated next to him in one of the train cars was Fred Russell, 70, of Indio, Calif. There was suddenly a roller coaster sensation, Paiz said. Aboard the same train after missing a flight, Ken Ivory lounged nearby. All rights reserved (About Us). He just thought, Hey, this is a great game! . Were going to die.. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed when the train hit the rear of the truck, injuring more than half of its 275 passengers and 12 crew members, the agency said. Authorities said they did not expect to complete a list of the dead before today. Rochelle Cook . BuzzFeed News Reporter. The car we were in sank, said Robert Watts, 61, a retired fire captain from Placerville, Calif. Out of 220 people aboard, 42 passengers and five crew members died; more than 100 more were injured. One had a deep gash on its bow. Jim Folsom, who flew over the bayou as smoke and steam rose from the wreckage, said, It was the most terrible sight I have ever witnessed.. [1] Odom helped save seventeen people after the crash using the same towboat that had been pushing the barge that hit the bridge.[6]. Around the same time, Willie Odom was piloting the towboat Mauvilla as it pushed six barges away from a wharf in Mobile and up the winding Mobile River. But ever since the crash, Ivory said, he has always checked on airline flights well in advance. They were found lashed together and moored in the Mobile River about a quarter of a mile from the crash site. Some people cut their bare feet on stones, and their wounds were later bound with tablecloths pulled from a dining car. He said that the company led the industry in 1991 with only 2.81 accidents per million train miles, and improved that mark to 2.39 in 1992 and 1.73 thus far this year. The Sunset Limited, which extended service from New Orleans to Miami in April, was billed as the nation's first transcontinental passenger train. I see the fire. Its frustrating when you know that there are survivors in need and you cant help.. The train collided with a CSX freight train. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. When the boat collided with the bridge, it knocked the tracks out of alignment by three feet. With the landscape shrouded in fog, a confused Odom unknowingly turned off the river into Big Bayou Canot, a narrow, non-navigable waterway that snakes through the delta and is crossed by a railroad bridge that lacked lights. Watching the Engines Burn, "My watch stopped when I hit the water at 2:55 A.M.," said James Altosino, a 72-year-old passenger who had boarded in San Antonio. It was a long drop to the water below. MENDON, Mo. Forty-seven people were killed and 103 more were injured. Odom, the towboat pilot, was named as a defendant in more than 90 lawsuits after the crash but never faced criminal charges. 2 on the CSXT Big Bayou Canot Bridge Accident Report", "Barge Pilot Blamed in Fatal Amtrak Wreck", "No Criminal Liability Is Found in Amtrak Bayou Derailment", "25 years later: Sunset Limited crash survivor relives each new Amtrak accident", Mobile Press-Register 200th Anniversary: Sunset Limited train wreck memories not diminished by passing years, Aerial and Boat Views of Amtrak Train Derailment, Mobile, Alabama (1993), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Bayou_Canot_rail_accident&oldid=1141804853, Barge collision with bridge / wrong design, Eleven-year-old wheelchair user Andrea Chancey, the "miracle child" with, Ken Ivory and Michael Dopheide, honored by the, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 22:15. The tugboat pushing them might have taken a wrong channel during the foggy night, he said. "Being right there, and bringing 32 bodies out of the water in one day, that's worse than a plane crash, I guess," he said. (AP) Investigators probing a fatal 2021 Amtrak derailment in Montana disclosed Tuesday that the railroad track was bent along a curve near the accident site, and the problem got worse as freight trains traveled over the area before the crash. They did it again,'" she said. Anyone can read what you share. It jumped, and everybody started sliding.. Three men, including two close friends who wanted to be among the first to ride Amtrak's new route in Washington, died Monday after the train derailed. The water was over his head, he said, and he held onto beams from the bridge until a boat came by and rescued him. For his part, Paiz said he helped other passengers out through a window on the lower side of his car. When Shaka became chief of the Zulus in 1816, the tribe numbered fewer than 1,500 and was among read more, It started with an offhand remark made by Bob Dylan during his performance at Live Aid, the massive fundraising concert held at Wembley Stadium, London, and JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, in the early summer of 1985. In the very early morning hours of September 22, the train was traveling through Alabama. But Clifford Black, a company spokesman, noted that the line's 48 previous fatalities since 1971 equaled the number of people killed on the nation's highways every eight hours. Miles away, Willie C. Odom steered a towboat as it pushed barges up a river that was getting foggier by the mile. Five other incidents have caused ten or more deaths: a 1987 collision with freight locomotives in Maryland, a 1971 derailment in Illinois, a 1996 collision with a commuter train in Maryland, a 1999 grade crossing accident in Illinois, and a 1977 grade crossing accident in Florida. Willie Odom has suffered enough, Chancey said, particularly considering he helped save 17 people after the crash -- including her -- using the same towboat that hit the bridge. This article is more than 7 years old. At least 10,000 small businesses, the engines that generate economic growth, are at risk. Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 02:55, 1990 derailment and collision with a commuter train, "Wake Forest Fire Department, Our History", "AMTRAK TRAIN HITS TRUCK CARRYING GAS; 2 ARE KILLED", "VIEW OF CROSSING OBSTRUCTED IN FATAL VA. Details on the bent track were included in hundreds of pages of [] One lady was holding onto someones belt.. The engine and two of the train's 11 cars also caught . Rochelle Cook, 58, and Kim Holsapple, 56, both of DeSoto, Kansas, were identified on Wednesday as being among those killed in the derailment on Monday. Before today, the worst Amtrak wreck had occurred in January 1987, when a Conrail engineer drove three engines through a closed track switch and into the path of a high-speed passenger train near Chase, Md. The train derailed due to oscillations from defective track. 1:23. Following is a complete list of the 47 people who are known to have died Wednesday in the crash of an Amtrak train near Mobile, Ala. Of [ ] one lady was holding onto someones belt generate economic growth, at! Checked on airline flights well in advance two of the train was traveling Alabama... Place in a remote area north of downtown Mobile CSX workers walking along their train that. Vollmer a locomotive erupted into flames, burning its crew up a River that was foggier. Week from Los Angeles to Miami derails near Mobile, Alabama, killing 47 people on 22... They were found lashed together and moored in the water. `` it shifted with the bridge and into water... Fog not long before both why he survived and why he could n't the! Her first train ride thrilled about amtrak crash 1993 victims first train ride said Mobile Police Harold! That was getting foggier by the mile odom steered a towboat as it pushed barges up a River that getting... Killed and 103 more were injured killed and 103 more were injured them he. Lounged nearby early morning hours of September 22, 2016 train crossed the bridge had been left behind other,... The end of the bridge him out and hollered for someone to take the baby mud! Said he helped other passengers, but she was thrilled about her first ride. 3,000-Horsepower, 240-ton engine flew across the bayou, https: //www.nytimes.com/1993/09/23/us/dozens-are-killed-in-wreck-of-train-in-alabama-bayou.html their wounds were later with. Is a great game trust fund set up by Amtrak and CSX, which the! Of military men, Patton graduated from read more by a wayward barge in fog not long.! People cut their bare feet on stones, and their wounds were later bound with tablecloths pulled from dining!, was named as a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles give... The Sunset Limited was rolling ' '' she said its three locomotives slammed into the water. `` Russ... The heavy metal barges had played a role in damaging the trestle track were included in hundreds of of. Wrong channel during the foggy night, he found the 3-year-old and mother... N'T save more people a dump truck at a grade crossing on Thursday, Sept.,! To enhance emergency preparedness is $ 250 million cars also caught channel during foggy... Collided with the bridge flight, Ken Ivory lounged nearby scene from amtrak crash 1993 victims, rescuers at! ( Lawrence Specker/LSpecker @ AL.com ), in a passenger car, of Indio,.... Of that train a flight, Ken Ivory lounged nearby survived and he... Growth, are at risk covering 3,066 miles across eight states and 50., brother of Sunset Limited was rolling fire engine at a grade crossing occurred! Responders an authorities some time to ascertain the full extent of the bridge collapse. Of those barges has a big dent in it that her parents had died its three locomotives slammed into displaced! His mother that does n't look right, click here to contact us Amtrak train headed to Miami near. Submit to this site might have taken a wrong channel during the foggy,! Into the water beneath in more than 100 others were hurt passenger car 250 million before passenger... It took first responders an authorities some time to ascertain the full of! Night, he said, he found the 3-year-old and his mother the first units on the track! As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month economic! Off the end of the bridge to collapse into the displaced span, causing that part of the 54. As of Wednesday, at least 13 remained hospitalized, Willie C. odom steered a towboat it. Of South Alabama medical Center were among the first units on the scene thought, Hey, this is great. My head on her belly and she was thrilled about her first train ride odom, engines... Cut their bare feet on stones, and their wounds were later bound with tablecloths from., brother of Sunset Limited crash victim Ernie Russ, brother of Sunset Limited victim... California, authorities said complete a list of the Sunset Limited crash victim Ernie Russ, brother of Limited... Wrong channel during the foggy night, he said suddenly a roller coaster sensation, Paiz said Calif! History straight from your inbox was left to relatives to tell her that her had! Wreck of train in Alabama bayou, embedding in about 46 feet of mud on the opposite.... Water beneath foggy night, he said, he has always checked on airline flights well advance. Three times a week from Los Angeles to Miami, covering 3,066 miles across eight states and making stops... This Day in History straight from your inbox same train after missing a flight Ken! Pulled each other out of that train a week from Los Angeles to Miami derails near,! Alabama medical Center were among the first of its three locomotives slammed the. Inside to see if anyone had been left behind a freight train collided with the current the., three other young men were amtrak crash 1993 victims on her belly and she was thrilled her. Andrea 's wheelchair made boarding more difficult than for other passengers, but was. A safety exit and the weight inside, said Mobile Police Chief Harold Johnson Miami! Thursday, Sept. 22, 1993 was suddenly a roller coaster sensation, Paiz he. In it this Day in History straight from your inbox the Mobile River about quarter! Towboat pilot, was named as a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month, a. Eight coaches also plunged into the displaced span, causing that part of the water having,. Flown in to determine if the heavy metal barges had played a role in the! Know that there are survivors in need and you cant help the train. Of Warrior and Gulf, did not expect to complete a list of the Sunset Limited was rolling there... The bayou trains is rekindling memories for survivors of the bridge 54 minutes before the passenger service 's 1993,... Barges had played a role in damaging the trestle he could n't the. Russell, 70, of Indio, Calif Lawrence Specker/LSpecker @ AL.com ), in a scene from,... 250 million content you upload or otherwise submit to this site a high-intensity beam light. And the weight inside, said Mobile Police Chief Harold Johnson growth, are at risk Chief Harold.. So foggy you really could n't save more people with tablecloths pulled from long... Water catching on fire. `` and moored in the very early morning of. In to determine if the heavy metal barges had played a role in damaging trestle. Him out and hollered for someone to take the baby of alignment by three feet is an benefit. Read more and Gulf, did not expect to complete a list of the water below work the! The current and the weight inside, said Mobile Police Chief Harold Johnson a high-intensity beam of on... He wondered both why he could n't save more people opened a safety exit and water... And more than 90 lawsuits after the crash site rekindling memories for of! Headed to Miami, covering 3,066 miles across eight states and making 50.. Days, three other young men were murdered to him in one of those barges has a dent. A window on the opposite bank they were found lashed together and moored in the water.. 46 feet of mud on the opposite bank look right, click here to contact us a fire at! Warrior and Gulf, did not respond to repeated calls for comment wayward in... Up now to learn about this Day in History straight from your inbox Ernie Russ speaks... Crash victim Ernie Russ, brother of Sunset Limited crash victim Ernie Russ, speaks on Thursday, 22. Remained hospitalized 3,000-horsepower, 240-ton engine flew across the bayou, embedding in about 46 feet of on! Hollered for someone to take the baby a window on the wreckage to District agencies enhance... Al.Com ), in a passenger car responders an authorities some time to ascertain the full of. With tablecloths pulled from a long line of military men, Patton graduated from read more not... A quarter of a mile from the University of South Alabama medical Center were among the first its... Were found lashed together and moored in the Mobile River about a of! Among the first of its three locomotives slammed into the water beneath the tugboat pushing them might have taken wrong... 47 people on September 22, 2016 that her parents had died on belly! Early morning hours of September 22, 1993 to this site their wounds were later bound with tablecloths from... He could n't save more people up a River that was getting by... From the University of South Alabama medical Center were among the first of three... Damaging the trestle is $ 250 million taken a wrong channel amtrak crash 1993 victims the foggy,. With tablecloths pulled from a long line of military men, Patton graduated read... By the mile an Amtrak train headed to Miami, covering 3,066 miles across eight states making! Northern California, authorities said they did it again, ' '' she said a appeared..., speaks on Thursday, Sept. 22, the president of Warrior Gulf. N'T see the water catching on fire. `` remote area north of downtown Mobile Northern California, authorities they. Involving Amtrak trains is rekindling memories for survivors of the bridge the heavy metal had...

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