| RAILROAD ACCIDENTS |
| Very few passengers were killed in a single U.S. train wreck up until 1853. These early trains ran slowly and made short trips, night travel was rare, and there were not many of them in operation. |
| Amtrak Train/Dump Truck Raleigh, N.C. August 2, 2005 2 Killed 15 Injured |
| A dump truck collided with an Amtrak train. A preliminary investigation shows that the crossing lights and gates were working. For some reason, authorities said, the driver drove around the safety gate. 196 passengers were on board. |
| "Tamiami Champion" Accident CLICK ON LINK ABOVE FOR ACTUAL ICC REPORT Rennert, North Carolina December 16, 1943 72 Killed 187 Injured |
| A northbound passenger train collided with derailed cars of a southbound train. Little is known about the accident, which retains the ignoble distinction of the deadliest train wreck ever in North Carolina. The passengers that were killed were mostly soldiers heading home for the holidays. Since the majority of the victims were in the armed services, officials from Fort Bragg responded and took over the grisly scene, confiscating film and urging witnesses to clam up about the wreck. Witnesses described the cars as having "telescoped" into each other after the collision - four passenger cars were crushed into the size of one by the force of the impact. Trapped inside the mangled steel were the dead, dying and the maimed. The wreck occurred off the main road and was hard to get to. Those who weren't badly hurt fashioned stretchers from mattresses, linens and pillow cases, and hauled the wounded to the ambulance. In addition to the injuries, the terrible cold - 12 degrees - compounded the problem. Things were a lot different in those days. No blood banks - blood was collected by the Red Cross at the time of the accident and the people of Robeson County were the donors. Medical supplies were also limited by the war effort. All the penicillin went to the front, which meant the staff had only sulfa to treat wounds. To make matters even worse, the medical staff was at half-strength with the missing doctors deployed overseas or at military hospitals. Despite their heavy-handedness in censoring the events, the military proved to be a true lifesaver. It donated blankets and furnished ambulances and transported many of the wounded to hospitals in Fayetteville and Florence, S.C. It remains the worst railroad accident in the state's history. |
| RAILROAD SAFETY INFORMATION: |
DO obey all railroad grade crossing warning signs, signal, devices and pavement markings. DO let ALL trains pass before attempting to cross the tracks. DO pay attention when gates are lowered, bells are ringing and/or lights are flashing. DO cross railroad tracks only at a railroad grade crossing or a bridge. DON'T ever try to beat the train. The train ALWAYS wins. DON'T assume the gates are broken or stuck and pass around them, even if others are doing it. DON'T ever use the railroad tracks as a short-cut or as a recreational area upon which to ride a bicycle or take a walk. DON'T pass around, over or under any crossing gates or barriers at a railroad crossing when such gate or barrier is closed, or is being opened or closed. DON'T walk, ride, drive or be upon or along the right-of-way of any railroad tracks. The right-of-way includes the track itself and the roadbed located either side of the tracks. |
| Each year there are hundreds of highway/railroad grade crossing accidents where too many people are killed or seriously injured. Please do your part to prevent these accidents and make the railroad crossings safe. If you are a parent, please share this information with your children. If you are a teacher, please share this with your students. |
| WORST RAILROAD ACCIDENTS 1833 Nov. 8, nr. Heightstown, N.J.: world's first train wreck and first passenger fatalities recorded. A 24-passenger Camden & Amboy train derailed due to a broken axle, killing 2 passengers and injuring all others. Former President John Quincy Adams and Cornelius Vanderbilt, who later made a fortune in railroads, were aboard. 1853 May 6, Norwalk, Conn.: New Haven Railroad train ran through an open drawbridge and plunged into the Norwalk River. Forty-six passengers were crushed to death or drowned. This was the first major drawbridge accident. 1856 July 17, Camp Hill, near Ft. Washington, Pa.: two Northern Penn trains crashed head-on. Approximately 50–60 people died, mostly children on their way to a Sunday school picnic. 1887 Aug. 10, near Chatsworth, Ill.: a burning railroad trestle collapsed while a Toledo, Peoria & Western train was crossing, killing 81 and injuring 372. 1910 March 1, Wellington, Wash.: two trains swept into canyon by avalanche; 96 dead. 1950 Nov. 22, Richmond Hill, N.Y.: 79 died when one Long Island Railroad commuter train crashed into rear of another. 1951 Feb. 6, Woodbridge, N.J.: 85 died when Pennsylvania Railroad commuter train plunged through temporary overpass. Sept. 22, near Mobile, Ala.: Amtrak's Sunset Limited, en route to Miami, jumped rails on weakened bridge and plunged in Big Bayou Canot, killing 47 people. |