Photos: Aaron Speaks
A woman suffered no major injuries Tuesday evening after a train hit her vehicle at the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad crossing on West Dickson Street near George’s Majestic Lounge.
According to reports, Angela Lamoureux, 29, was driving alone in a Nissan Xterra shortly before 6 p.m. when her vehicle was broadsided by the train. Lamoureux, who was cited in connection with careless driving, reportedly did not hear the train as it approached the crossing.
Witnesses said the vehicle was dragged about 30 feet north of Dickson Street and destroyed several sections of guard fencing before the train came to a stop.
KNWA reports the accident was the third crash in 15 years at that crossing
What a dummy.
haha that train goes like 15 miles an hour I bet the whole time she was like oh my gooooooooooood!
Thank you guys for getting the scoop! I looked at other local sites and there was no info on how it happened, etc…as usual. Yay for the Flyer!!
PS…if it was her fault, I wonder if she’ll be responsible for damages to the surrounding property.
Actually, the Traveler and Twitter had the story within minutes of it happening, plus pictures.
Was the train speeding? Did it try to brake? The train operator zonkered? Horns tooted? Junk curb side crossing signals work? Junk curb side signals even legal since their view is easily blocked? The sight lines certainly aren’t legal when the railroads/Feds/state KNOW the signals are junk.
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/directives/notices/n4510743t1.htm The real story find what the state being led around on a leash manages to blow $4 million in safety funds a year. Like here a $100 timing circuit for the new gates (which are like $20,000) to start down a few seconds after the lights start is all that is needed.
The cops haven’t a clue on the evidence and shouldn’t be allowed to ticket anyone but maybe themselves for being clueless. The lights have to be on at least 20 seconds before the train arrives. What’s the odds of this vehicle being the first to the crossing at that time of day?
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/directives/notices/n4510743t1.htm
I agree with Robert P. The lack of crossing guards (banjo signals) is shocking. This is a much more serious accident waiting to happen.
Pshlease its the 3rd accident in 15 years and that train makes hella noise whenever it passes by she probably had her music playing or something she got lucky! fayettevilles plenty safe
3rd accident in 15 years? Cars should never come in contact with trains. When you are driving down distracting Dickson Street… nobody notices the warning lights. While the crossing signals do make some noise, they are very weak and unalarming. For a busy street like Dickson street, we need to get proper safety measures in place before there is a 4th accident.
I witnessed the last accident in 2005. A 10 mph train will throw a car. That driver did not see or hear that train until is was too late.
07/09/99
Allgd. warn > 60 sec (2);
TRUCK WAS STALLED ON TRACK. TRAIN CLIPPED REAR END OF TRUCK.
I see we needlessly bought new high dollar train detection equipment here a couple years ago sucking the safety funds. http://www.arkansashighways.com/stip/stip.aspx What a good way to steal millions. Put the millions in safety funds under generic projects. One should be able to find out exactly where the funds go because all these crossings have DOT numbers. 667195J (the crossing number) should be able to be Googled and go to the state dot projects.
07/09/99
Allgd. warn > 60 sec (2);
TRUCK WAS STALLED ON TRACK. TRAIN CLIPPED REAR END OF TRUCK.
+++++
Effective Begin-Date of Record: 07/20/10 Type of Train Detection: Motion Detectors
Annual Average Daily
Traffic (AADT):
12800
AADT Year: 1987 (Where’s the state guy been sleeping?)
yea nobody died then either
It’s clearly marked that you are about to cross a train track. Maybe instead of being distracted by Dickson Street, drivers should slow down and pay attention before crossing the track. This is just like McD’s having to put a warning on their coffee cups stating that coffee is hot. People shouldn’t expect to have their hand held all through life…common sense will go a long way!
Clearly marked as in the missing advanced warning signs and some obliterated paint on the street? The unlit lights that a delivery truck easily hides? Oh you mean the train lit up like the Vegas strip —- whoops that ain’t it.
The only thing clearly marked is the NEON signs in Jimmy Johns windows. Arkansas & Missouri Railroad owners safety deposit box might be clearly marked. You might want to sign up for CLEARLY MARKED classes 101.
fayettevillian – Here are some facts about the infamous McDonald’s hot coffee deal. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/79371 . I do know what you’re saying though.
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-text-dynamic-arrays/E9D8660ADDBB36C7802573F500587F26?openDocument
Don’t think the .00001 cent per cup hot label exactly broke McDonalds.
Not only is that a TRAIN CROSSING site but it runs parallel to the very active Frisco trail. If you’re not driving aware that this crossing is a very active spot then you don’t ever drive on Dickson. I hear that train a comin’ and I know where it’s going to end up. Crossing Dickson. It’s not like the train has an opportunity to change directions or anything.
I was there for the aftermath of the accident and I’m thrilled she wasn’t hurt but stupidity doesn’t require more regulation, it requires a Darwin Award.
Very glad she’s ok, that looks terrifying. But you can easily hear the the train’s horn from the other side of College Ave.
wanna bet she was on her cell phone….
wanna bet the junk signals failed and Nissan Xterras’ have high tech soundproofing?
I live several blocks from where the train crosses and can hear the train from my house with doors and windows closed.
Large objects travel much faster than they appear and the distortion makes drivers think they can “beat the train”. I’ve taken Amtrak trains over long distances and one of those times, we hit a car trying to beat the train somewhere outside of East Dallas. The conductor joked that it happens more often than people think because people don’t realize how fast the train is moving.
I would bet money that if she tried to sue, her phone records would show she was texting or otherwise using a cell phone while driving.
With fewer than a handful of incidents in the last 15 years, I’m going with driver error.
blarrrgh —Guess what? If the sound is getting in your heating and air conditioning is getting out. Sounds like you need some new windows and doors.
Do you even think about the BEAT THE TRAIN gibberish you write? How would a Amtrak conductor know what the driver was doing? Maybe the driver had medical problems —Maybe the driver had mechanical problems —Probably the signals failed which is what had to happen here—Or where there no signals and major sight obstructions which was the case here?
The train was basically coming out of a tunnel echo chamber between buildings and couldn’t be seen to know it was there to beat.. The train speed limit here is 10 mph {14 feet per second) — The train width maybe 12 feet wide.— Sooo like the 100 in 1001-1 to beat it. More like signals failed and the last second train horn froze the driver like a deer in the headlights. What about the next time when the fuel truck is froze and the trainload of agent ooze or whatever it’s hauling goes kaboom?? Or the vehicle takes out your kids hit by the vehicle being pushed???
RE “Sounds like you need some new windows and doors.”
Thermal efficiency and soundproofing are not the same thing, and there is no direct correlation between them. Sound is vibration, and glass transmits vibration. By that argument, though, the driver should have been able to hear the train.
RE “How would a Amtrak conductor know what the driver was doing?”
He might have found out from the engineer, who would have talked to the police during the incident. The engineer would probably have been able to see if the vehicle sped up as it approached the crossing. Amtrak probably keeps records of such things, and they might have printed an article about it in the employee newsletter.
RE “Junk curb side crossing signals work? Junk curb side signals even legal since their view is easily blocked?” “…the railroads/Feds/state KNOW the signals are junk.” “The unlit lights that a delivery truck easily hides?” “wanna bet the junk signals failed…?” “Probably the signals failed which is what had to happen here” “More like signals failed…”
Do you have an opinion about the signals?
RE “The train was basically coming out of a tunnel echo chamber between buildings…”
Interestingly, that echo chamber focuses sound toward Dickson Street.
RE “…and couldn’t be seen…”
The driver was approaching from the east, and the train was approaching from the south. The drier would have been able to see the approaching train for at least ten seconds, assuming it was traveling at about fifteen feet per second. A delivery truck between her and the junk signals would not have blocked that view.
RE “…the last second train horn…”
Were you ever in George’s beer garden during the twenty or so seconds that the train horn was blowing as it approached Dickson Street from the south?
RE “…froze the driver like a deer in the headlights…”
Bad driver reaction. She might have missed the driver’s ed lesson on how to drive around railroad crossings. Maybe that was the same day as the lesson on not using a cell phone while driving.
RE “What about the next time when the fuel truck is froze and the trainload of agent ooze or whatever it’s hauling goes kaboom??”
And people say that paid parking is killing Dickson Street.
RE “Or the vehicle takes out your kids hit by the vehicle being pushed???”
Given the same accident configuration, I’d sue the vehicle’s driver for causing the incident through inattention.
Robert, I’m not sure what your angle is here, but you have to be completely deaf to not hear the train as it approaches the intersection. It is that loud.
You are making conjecture and assumptions based on facts you don’t even have while we are using historical data (aka, only 3 accidents in 15 years), basic physics and common sense. Sorry u so mad, bro.
In fact:
Source: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Rail/TrainSafety.htm
Can you tell how fast a train is traveling by looking at it?
No. Because of the size of a train, it appears to be traveling much slower than we think, making the train appear to be farther away than it is. It is impossible to judge the speed of a train under these conditions.
Because of this, vehicle drivers at grade crossings think they can “beat the train.” Sadly, this is often not the case. Crossing in front of an oncoming train is always dangerous and many people have lost their lives or been injured as a result. Almost 95 percent of railroad fatalities are motorists at grade crossings, or people who have trespassed on railroad property.
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2009r1r2/mutcd2009r1part1.pdf
Section 1A.02 Principles of Traffic Control Devices
To be effective, a traffic control device should meet five basic requirements:
A. Fulfill a need;
B. Command attention;
C. Convey a clear, simple meaning;
D. Command respect from road users; and
E. Give adequate time for proper response.
The curb side lights can’t really do all this when another vehicle easily blocks the view now can they? These lights are so antique flashing red means stop and go.
I like the comments more than the story much of the time. Never know what someone will get fuming about.