E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSView more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com.
Video has emerged of a horrific crash in which a tow-truck driver was killed by an oncoming train as he was working to clear a stranded vehicle near the tracks in Southern California.
Shaun William Riddle, 27, was struck by a southbound Amtrak train in Cardiff at about 2:35 p.m. PT (5:35 a.m. ET) Saturday while he tried to hook up the vehicle to his truck.
The father of two children had been called to the area to help a disabled SUV that had stalled just west of the tracks.
The county medical examiner reported that Riddle got back into his truck and tried to move it out of the train’s path.
He could not move the truck in time and the train struck the truck at a high rate of speed, officials said.
More news from NBCSanDiego.com
A witness who caught the incident on video said the train crossing arm dropped on the SUV and a moment later, the train slammed into the tow truck.
The video shows the truck driver’s door closing and then the truck turning away from the train just moments before the collision.
Horrific sound
It’s unclear how fast the train was traveling at impact, but it came to a stop about half a mile away from the crossing. The crash is under investigation.
The sound of the fatal crash was horrific, witness Thomas Neely, who works across the street from the train tracks, told NBCSanDiego.com.
“It's somewhere between an explosion and thunder. You know, when metal hits metal it makes a noise unto itself,” Neely said.
Another witness said the driver was ejected from his tow truck and thrown some 100 yards from the crash site.
Pieces of the truck were strewn around the train tracks for hundreds of yards, including the flatbed, a wheel and even the massive engine block. which landed about 200 yards away.
Leave a Comment:
Bummer.
And then some.
The sad part was that the tow-truck driver chose to park on the train tracks to pick up the SUV as opposed to putting the SUV in neutral and pushing it away from the tracks.
I feel sorry for the family of the tow-truck driver, but I am also sorry for the people who were opperating the train. That would be a horrible thing to live with.
Oh man. Poor guy. Not sure why I read about this type of situation so much because if I think about it, I'd be continually on the lookout for a train coming and setting myself up in such a way that I would be able to get the hell outta there if I had to in a hurry.
Man, he was a father of 2 kids and a husband. RIP dude.
You know that the person who took the video probably already posted it on-line. WTFman. The next of kin don't need to accidentally see that. I mean, the guy was thrown 100 yards man. That's 300 feet! Holy @!$%#.
If the person who filmed it sees and reads this, PULLEEEZE do not post the vid on-line and if you did, please delete it out of respect for this guys family.
Than you.
CD
I get it that he wanted to help but sorry - this was just stupid. It was just a car and if the train smacks it then no harm done except to the insurance premium that will go up. The tow truck driver's heart may have been in the right place but placing it in front of an oncoming train was not smart. So sorry for his family and thir loss.
No car is worth risking your life. That's why there is insurance. No reason to take a chance, everyone would have understood that there is nothing that could be done. And just get everyone as far away from the train and cars as possible. How unfortunate. My heart totally goes out to this young mans new family.
So many people don't understand how railroads work. First, trains don't "speed" they have speed limits to adhere to. If the engineer is caught going over the limit he is delt with. All locomotives have event and video recorders and the railroads look at these devices regularly.Second, ALL states have laws that make it ILLEGAL to cross tracks when the lights are flashing. How many of you had drivers training in school before you got your license?? This is a very tragic thing, it happens everyday. Rule of thumb, STOP,LOOK,AND LISTEN. May this man rest in peace
I do. The idiots get on the trains---go too fast with no steering or brakes and blame the victims they run down like dogs. Didn't your drivers training teach you to not out drive your sight stopping distance?
So what railroad bought ninkapoop sets a 90 mph train speed ----60 trains a day ---traffic count 4,000 shows the state railroad people last counted in 1970. Where have they slept for 42 years???
The NRC report has a train speed limit 70 mph.
The train speeds are to just a excuse for the private freight railroads to draft behind at 70 mph through populated areas.
If it only took a half-mile to stop the train, then the train wasn't going at an extreme rate of speed.
From Minnesota Operation Lifesaver, Inc.: "The average freight train is about 1 to 1¼ miles in length (90 to 120 rail cars). When it's moving at 55 miles an hour, it can take a mile or more to stop after the locomotive engineer fully applies the emergency brake. An 8-car passenger train moving at 80 miles an hour needs about a mile to stop..."
And a little helpful information and advice: "Trains can't swerve—they can only follow the track. The only thing the engineer can do is apply the emergency brake... Don't take chances—it's easy to misjudge a train's speed and its distance, especially at night. If you see a train, just wait."
The brakes were probably already applied before the crash, so the half mile after the impact wasn't the entire distance it took to stop.
Sorry, but if I'm sitting stuck on train tracks, and a mile long train that takes half a mile to stop is bearing down, I don't care what the number of the mph is, it is a high rate of speed.
Let's face it, buy the time someone on a train sees a car stopped on the tracks, it's too late to for the train to stop at any speed.
I got the lesson the hard, but lucky, way when I was 18 y/o (the age at which it seems impossible to die) on a non-gated crossing at night, in a tiny MGB. (Remember those?) I found out that IT IS SO TRUE that it is very difficult to judge distance and speed of an approaching train at night. All I could see was the headlight and I thought there was enough time. Technically, there was. Just after crossing I saw the train go by in the rear-view mirror!!! I think a guardian angel was there (and let's not start another God-Atheist debate, LOL). A few weeks later another student at our high school, about the same age, was hit and killed at the same crossing, at night.
Jokeoff,
It wasn't a freight train. It was an Amtrak Train which is a passenger train that can move up to 130mph but they never go that fast when and if they have to cross over roads.
Freight trains are own by Conrail and CSX. I know. I deal with them all the time. They move from 5mph to 55/60mph tops. It takes them "much" longer to stop because they're so much larger and "loaded" to the gills with supplies. Even empty they're heavy as hell.
Amtrak trains are lighter, shorter and can stop much quicker. They're also design for this considering they're carrying passengers and not supplies for higher safety standards.
This train had to be moving at least 60 to 70 mph the throw a human being 300 feet.
Also, the trains can't swerve they just follow the tracks thing is a no brainer. I feel sorry for anyone who was just educated on that fact. Geez....
While you are correct in your analysis of what trains do at certain speeds, you are not correct on the freight trains are owned by Conrail and CSX. CSX is just one major class 1 railroad, its eastern brother which is Norfolk Southern is also a major class 1 railroad. Conrail is jointly owned by Norfolk Southern and CSX. There are other class 1 railroads also such as, Union Pacific, BNSF, KCS, CP, and the CN. Though their are 7 class 1 railroads there are many more class 2.
How awful this poor man was working so hard to help someone and lost his life. He was killed trying to do the right thing. I pray his loved ones will be surrounded with all the support they need right now.Bless his soul, may he rest in peace.
An engine block being thrown 200 yards from the crash site? The train was obviously moving too fast! What does the law say the speed should be at that point? If it is over 60MPH, change the law!!!
Your authoritative opinion is based on your extensive knowledge of railroad operations, yes?
Speed isn't the factor.
If people would just pay more attention at train crossings--obey the lowering arms, lights and bells at crossings, or stop and open your windows and look both ways at crossings without arms/lights/bells--a LOT of train accidents can be prevented.
Trains run on tracks. They are not unpredictable, like cars "coming out of nowhere."
"Change the law", huh? Because one person decided to not get out of the way of a train barrelling towards him, change the law? Look, I sympathize with the family of the man-but at some point you have to get out of the way of a train coming straight at you.
Every time there is an accident of some sort someone thinks the "laws" should be changed. Accidents happen. It does not mean the train was going too fast. They have already put lights, arms, signs in place. It just happened. It's like the McD's hot coffee fiasco. Now there are warnings that say "HOT" on the cups..duh. It's a liability thing. If you order HOT coffee understand that it will be hot. Train tracks have signs, arms and lights, most of them and this just happened. No more laws need to be changed because of it.
The only thing that has the right-of-way on a train track is a train.
I'd be more inclined to believe that the reporter is a dolt and meant 200 feet. They said his body was thrown 300 yards--3 football fields--really?
you think these speeds are too high wait till the high speed rail opens up.
They don't call them bullet train for nothing!!!
Okay... enough of the wrong information on the "hot coffee" topic... for crying out loud, check out the video for the trailer of "HOT COFFEE." Then go on Google and see the photos of the damage done to the poor woman's legs.
The temperature at which the hot coffee was handed through the McDonald's drive-thru window was at a temperature that broke the law. Plain and simple. Hot coffee (any hot liquid) that is over a given temperature fits the legal description of a hazardous chemical under OSHA regulations. McDonald's was negligent by handing out a liquid that was hot enough to burn through this woman's clothes, through her skin and into her muscles. Skin grafts and rehabilitation will mark the rest of that woman's life.
McDonald's was BLATANTLY negligent and the excessive settlement was not asked by the client--that was decided by a jury that was so horrified over the extensive damage that the coffee did (again, coffee that was at a temperature which exceeded OSHA safety standards and which would have required safety equipment in order to handle!).
He took the time to hook up the stranded vehicle to the tow truck. He should have just pushed it off the train tracks. It would have been much faster. Or better yet, leave it on the tracks and get out of the way of the train himself since there were no passangers in the stranded vehicle.
No life is worth risking to save a vehicle.
Sooner or later it will occur to the tow-truck community that it would be a good idea to develop a protocol for operations at rail crossings and require operator training and certification in it BEFORE being allowed to perform any work on those locations.
GeneralEclectic
NANNY state? How about some COMMON SENSE!!!! Just WHO do you expect to check on the tow operators certification to perform a tow from the tracks by the way? Perhaps they should charge an extra $100 to remove your vehicle from a "hazard"? $50 to the tow operator and $50 to the PD dispatched to verify the cert?
My condolences to the man's wife and children, and his parents and siblings.
My wonderment to whoever got their vehicle stuck "just west of the tracks." I'm guessing that it was so close to the tracks that it was in danger of getting hit. How was it stuck there? Run out of gas? Battery died while parked, waiting for another train to pass? Was it blocking the road so that the tow truck had only one way to access it?
Tragic
While I feel bad for the man and his family-the train coming couldn't exactly have been a surprise. He's definitley doing his job and trying to save a life/lives, but when a train is barrelling down the tracks blowing a horn-get the heck out of the way!
I have to agree with OKWhatNow. The SUV was stalled. There is no reason to assume there was a person trapped in it. This man wasn't trying to save lives, he was trying to save a vehicle. It should be protocol for tow drivers to always check train schedules before working on the tracks. I know he was trying to save someone a lot of grief. I'm sure he was a kind soul that didn't want someone to have the hassle of losing a vehicle. But assuming he could beat the odds, that he was "good enough" to beat a train, was a gamble that he lost. For nothing, too, because the SUV was still destroyed.
Do you really think they PUBLISH train schedules for rail crossings? Amtrak trains may have a "schedule" but are low priority on many tracks, especially in CA. They move WHEN they move. The only schedule that one can be sure of is when the horn, bell, whistles and gate are in action a train IS coming. From the sound of things it was the tow truck that was struck, not the SUV. Quite possible this is a multi track crossing. All the same.. there is a train coming get yourself out of the way... no property is worth any life.
Why would he try to save a vehicle when a train was coming? If I heard a train coming and there was nobody in the vehicle, let the train hit the vehicle, who cares because it can be replaced. My sympathies go out to his wife and children. I have to agree with one commentor about training people better on tow trucks. This should have been a common sense just get the hell out of the way once a train was coming. On the other hand, maybe he didn't even know and could not hear the train from other noises like music in an ear bud or something. I hope he really didn't know a train was coming, because if he did, there is no vehicle worth saving. Things are just that things and nothing to get all bent out of shape over loosing.
Why wasn't the train company notified?
Thoughts out to the driver and his family.
Do you know the number to call if you are stranded on the tracks? I sure don't. Perhaps there needs to be some posting giving them a number to call in case there is a problem on the tracks.
Secondly, who is to say that by the time he heard or saw the train coming he had time to get out of the way. That train may have been traveling too fast for him to react fast enough. We just don't know at this point all of the factors that went into this crash.
I for one would not have waited for the tow truck to get there before moving my vehicle off of the tracks.
Cinderray
The UNIVERSAL in the USA number... 9-1-1. Do you need that posted at every crossing? Think about it. There was not only time to CALL for a tow but for the tow to arrive. Plenty of time for that 9-1-1 call to report a hazard on the tracks. 9-1-1 HAS all those sort of numbers.
Don't call a tow truck, a friend, or anyone but the railroad or 911.
The railroad's phone number is posted at the railroad crossing. The sign also states the crossing's number, which uniquely identifies the crossing. If you can't find that, then call 911.
If the SUV owner had time to call a tow truck, he had time to call Amtrak to let them know his vehicle was on their tracks.
This man was just trying to do his job people quit with all the bad comments, please.
I realize a lot of folks don't care for towing companies and that's OK with me but again I stress this guy was only doing his job and now people are giving s hit to a man who is not even here anymore to defend himself.
This man obviously did not have enough time to get the job done of either putting the SUV onto the trucks bed or possibly even on the trucks wheel lift, (putting it on the wheel lift would take less time but many SUV's must be towed with all the wheels off the ground due to the 4 wheel drive system)
What we all do not know at this time is how fast that train was traveling? When the Tow truck driver first started to deal with the SUV I would think he would have checked to see if a train was approaching "before" he started to hook up the SUV. If the train was moving to fast for him to get out of the way after he had already checked for any trains prior to starting his work I assume the train was moving just way to fast for him to react fast enough. (Sadly)
Another poster on here said he should have just pushed the SUV out of the area of the tracks but if you noticed in the video the truck didn't have a push bumper so that wouldn't have been possible without damage to either vehicle.
I own a small towing company myself and as far as I know there is no written rule of thumb to follow when dealing with an auto on or by the train tracks except to use common sense and be very aware of your surroundings at all times. ( which all tow truck operators must do because 98% of the public does not even slow down or move over to the lane farthest away from any emergency vehicle, tow truck, etc even though its the law and many many tow truck operators lose there lives every year due to careless drivers.)
Usually law enforcement helps with high danger accidents, breakdowns alongside roadways and the like but something like this is sort of off the books as far as I know as to if the police should have been there or the train company contacted plus the article didn't say the SUV was on the tracks but close to them.
Please everyone, slow down and move to the other lane if there's an emergency vehicle, tow truck working by the roadway as it is the law and by doing so you may just save someones life, seriously and Thank you!
My thoughts and prayers go out to this mans family, I also hope his family will get help in dealing with this tragedy if they end up needing it.
Yes, EVERYONE PLEASE move to next lane away from stalled vehicles. If you think it's fun to be out by a broken down vehicle with unaware drivers flying by, then stop your vehicle by a higher posted speed road ( where it's safe) & get close enough to feel the wind created bt the passing cars. The big rigs, almost suck you under, so be careful when going by those in need of aid. Thoughfulness lats a lot longer than being in too much of a hurry around aan area of potential danger. My care goes to the poor widow with two fatherless children. They will always be sad because of this day. It may be news for the press but it's an utter tragedy for the family of this young, young father who is now departed. Please help the family out if you are able in any way to be helpful in a small way. A couple of dollars here & there adds up.
Did anyone stop to think that this poor man might have owned the truck or was responsible for replacing it in an accident? If this had been his only means of support, he may have been trying to save his own vehicle. RIP sir, this was an accident, and from driving for many years, I know that many people who drive do not judge speed, distance correctly. muddiemike is right, many, many people do not slow down or even change lanes in a dangerous situation. When we all quit acting like little gods and then actually look around us at the consequences of our actions, looking ahead and taking the long view, we will all be better off.
I wonder how much warning he was given about the oncoming train. I'm also assuming that he was too far in the process to drive his truck away and, for whatever reason, was understandably trying to save his own truck. Very, very sad.
They should have emergency buttons on the lights/gates so that people can push it in the event of an emergency and that would notify the railroad that there is a problem at that particular crossing and trains should slow down or stop. Sadly, there will be a lot of pranks with people pushing the button for no reason, but safe is better than sorry.
Two things I believe played a role in this man's death. The same factors as other accidents have plagued our TRAX system since it was created using part of the rail road lines.The same factors are found in researching the history of accidents in the railroad insurance Industry, and research by the science community.
First,like most accidents, was no threat at the time when the tow truck driver arrived on the scene, because the train wouldn't arrive for several minutes yet. The tracks were clear and it appeared there was plenty of time to hook up the SUV.Like most accidents, there was some time to spare.
Second,the human brain perceives the size of an object and the speed at which it is moving forward, differently depending on the distance involved. The larger and further away the visual information being processed, the more difficult the information for the brain to interpret.
So, a train, being so massive, will look like it is moving slower then it actually is when first seen far away. But as it gets closer, it will seem to speed up.This is what catches so many people by surprise, when they think they have enough time. It is an illusion,of having enough time, which kills so many and leaves others questioning why people didn't get out of their cars in time. Because by the time people realize how fast the train really is going, it is already too close to get out of the way.
Not until it is close enough to actually discern the real speed, does one understand the danger. By then one only has mere seconds. Not the longer estimate of ten, fifteen or more they thought they had to move out of the way.Survivors mention how quickly the train suddenly bore down upon them.With many trains passing through towns at higher speeds so as not to cause traffic jams during rush hour, it doesn't take long to get in trouble.
my husband is a tow truck driver here in Sacramento, CA and he would of done the dame thing as this other one did to help someone. Last year the company he works with lost one of theirs a young 20 some man along the highway. this was a case of someone not slowing down and driving under the influence of heroin, it was a hit and run. glad they found the guy though. lots of prayers go out to this family, may he rest in peace. He died doing what he loved and that was helping people. God bless him.
That was not a "wheel" as described in the video, but the torque converter, which joins the engine to the transmission.
That was quite an impact to tear the tow truck nearly in half, tear out and engine and then separate it from the transmission.
So sorry to hear about it.
Next time, drag or push the car off the tracks before loading it on the flatbed....
Yes it was the torque converter, which is bolted to the flywheel but not to the transmission. The output coupler of the converter slips over and couples to the input shaft and pump. Once the transmission is unbolted from the chassis and the flywheel it will pull right off with minimum effort. It looked like part of the flywheel was still attached to the converter in the video.
I've always wondered how peoples manage to get stuck on train tracks, the only way I see is if the guy actually stop on the tracks. In which case he well deserved to lose his SUV.
"2:35 p.m. PT (5:35 a.m. ET)" Here's a clue....It is not 5:35AM on the east cost when it is 2:35 PM on the west coast. Wow, and to think these are college graduates who write for a living.
The cops were there. Didn't they contact Amtrack and warn them someone was on the tracks? When you consider the time it takes to get a tow truck to help (unless the truck was across the street), hook up the stalled vehicle, lift it onto the flatbed and lock it down, there had to be at least 15 minutes to contact Amtrack. The sheriff's department really failed here.
Locals should have been aware a train was due to pass by soon. Amtrack is on a schedule and it repeats day after day, week after week, you get the idea. I would have thought someone might have mentioned a train comes by everyday around 3pm, for example.
As for the news report, what the reporter claims is a wheel laying on the side of the road is really the torque converter from the automatic transmission.
Somebody needs to investigate law enforcement for failing to notify Amtrack. There could be major liability here.
Unfortunately the tow truck driver paid the ultimate price for authorities apparently failing to take action.
Someone really needs to be blamed for the guys lack of common sense. I'm sure there's a sleazy lawyer out there to pursue this.
What a society we live in.
In California, public employees are immune from liability under these circumstances.
They wouldnt have had to notify the railroad, just stand at the side and watch for the trains, that simple
The truck driver made a BAD DESITION ! and this cost his life, period.
FYI - a vehicle/train moving at 60 MPH travels 88 feet per second. A train moving at 90 MPH travels 132 feet per second. For football fans, that is an incredible 44 yards per second, or 2.3 seconds to move from one goal line to the other. You need to get off the tracks before you can even see the train.
The footage of the actual collision would have been upsetting to watch, however I believe they should have aired it. We had a bad one here in Michigan a couple years ago in which a young driver ignored the crossing signals and tried to beat the train. After the local news aired the footage (captured by a security cam) I heard many people remark that they had no idea how massive the impact would be, and had a new respect for crossing signals and would never try to go around one again.
Apparently, some of you on this thread didn't even watch the video. There were no cops present until after the accident occured. Also, the vehicle (SUV) was already on the flatbed. And please, for goodness sake, if you're going to comment on the article you should probably read it first. Wow.
It is truly sad that this man lost his life. I certainly don't want to be offensive, but why didn't he just get out of the way on foot? And I agree with other comments that someone should have contacted Amtrak way before this happened. Waiting for a tow truck and then loading a vehicle onto a tow truck does take some time. Why did he get in the truck and try to move it. If I were ever in that situation, I will gladly let the train take out my car, but only without me in it! Whether the vehicles were insured or not, there is no reason to lose your life over one (or two). I feel so terrible for the man's family.
Human error. First he parked his tow truck on the tracks to remove the stalled unoccupied SUV. Unoccupied? Yes. Because they never let anyone stay in a vehicle while they are loading it on a tow truck. Then he chose to try to protect property instead of person. He should have left the tow truck and run. And he should have backed up to clear the tracks. Only the nose of the truck ws on the tracks when he closed the door. he only needed a 6 feet at most to back up to clear the path. Instead he drove forward and needed about 20 feet (lots more time) to clear the tracks. Back up, break the crossing arm.
It is admirable that he wanted to prevent damage to both his tow truck and the vehicle he was towing but material items aren't worth losing your life over.
He didn't die saving people, he died saving things. And now two kids are without a father. Sad.
And I don't know where Ranierguy got the info when he says that cops were there. The story and the video do not say that. This was a driver who called Triple A. Triple A sent a tow truck. Bystander grabbed his camera as the train approached.
Two truck driver could have loaded it up from the other direction. The safe direction and this wouldn't have happened.
It's interesting that the SUV looks to have sustained only minor damage. I'm wondering why the dude didn't just push the SUV away from the tracks with the tow truck, then load it. Maybe the tow company has a rule against pushing vehicles with their trucks. Wouldn't want to scratch the bumper.
Get out of the way of the train! I mean, the guy didn't realize he was on the tracks?
I mean, how stupid can you actually be. It is one thing to get a car off the tracks
before a train comes and it is another to just stay on the tracks when a train is barreling
down on you. It could have been completely preventable.
How stupid can you be hauling a train load of passengers and not know what was coming up ahead of your train with sucky brakes and no steering?