A tragic accident has occurred in West Texas when what was meant to be a time of celebration turned out to be a day of tears. A parade float filled with wounded war veterans was struck by a freight train after crossing onto the railway tracks after the warning signals went off. The war veterans involved were killed and 16 more people were injured. The parade float was made on the back of a flatbed truck. This is just the latest in a series of accidents involving trains colliding with trucks. The incident is even more sad because the veterans killed were on the way to a banquet in their honour. A parade was organised for them with people waving flags as they passed by, little did they know that they survived war to die in a tragic train crash. This post on Foxnews.com ha details of the tragic incident:

Four veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan were killed and 16 more people were injured when the train crashed into the flatbed truck in West Texas.  It was the second of two floats carrying veterans in Thursday’s parade in Midland. The first was exiting the tracks when the warning bells and signals were activated, 20 seconds before the accident, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The second float didn’t enter the tracks until several seconds after the warning system went off, the NTSB said. By that time, the guardrail was lowering.  “Once the crossing becomes active, people should stop,” lead investigator Robert Accetta with the NTSB said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.  The timeline was pieced together by combining information from a video camera mounted on the front of the train, another one on a sheriff’s car and a data recorder that acts like an airplane’s black box, activating when the train blared the horn, NTSB member Mark Rosekind said.  Nine seconds before the crash, the train sounded its horn, a blaring that lasted four seconds, according to Rosekind. The guardrail hit the truck, then the engineer pulled the emergency brake, trying to bring the train that was traveling at 62 mph to a screeching halt.  People on the first float and dozens of others who had come out to greet the veterans shrieked and watched in shock, as some aboard the truck tried to jump off, witnesses said. The veterans’ military instincts kicked in as they treated the wounded.  The NTSB has also interviewed the engineer and conductor, and established the train’s air brakes were working, Rosekind said. No mechanical problems were found with the cars. A review of the train’s maintenance history found no defects, he added. The tracks also had no problems. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/18/lights-flashed-before-truck-entered-crossing-in-train-crash-officials-say/#ixzz2ChEDuesC

Earlier this year a similar crash occurred in Melbourne that shocked the nation and caused stakeholders in the transport industry to call for action to address safety at level crossings. One train passenger died and 13 others were injured in the incident. The public needs to be educated about the importance of stopping at level crossings. Because trains are not able to stop, vehicles need to stop to avoid tragedy. When drivers approach a crossing, slow down, listen and look both ways before crossing the tracks. Truckiescan misjudge the speed of a train, thinking it is travelling more slowly than it actually is. Never race a train to the crossing. If a train is coming stop at least five metres from the nearest rail.After a train has passed, proceed only after you have checked in both directions for the approach of a second train. On private roads, crossings may not be marked, or may be marked by non-standard signs. Remain alert. At a signal crossing, some crossings have flashing signal lights and/or gates or barriers to keep motorists from crossing the tracks when a train is coming. The same rule applies at these crossings – stop at least five metres from the nearest rail. Do not cross until the signals stop flashing and, if the crossing has a barrier, wait until it completely rises before you cross. Never drive around barriers, under or through a railway barrier/gate while it is down or is being lowered or raised.  Also be careful, especially in heavy traffic not to drive onto a railway crossing and have to stop on the tracks. Always make sure you can clear the tracks completely before you start to cross. Avoid shifting gears on a railway crossing. Shift down to a lower gear before crossing, and change gears only after crossing the tracks.