KPRC: Danger Train driver who struck bicyclist ignored stop signal
Remember that bicyclist who was hit by the Danger Train a few days ago, dragged 50 feet, and trapped under the train?
The original notion here was that cycling, iPods, and the Danger Train are a bad combination -- but as KPRC-2's Elizabeth Scarborough reports, one should add "METRO driver error" to that mix:
A METRORail driver may have been responsible for a collision between a train and a cyclist, KPRC Local 2 reported.
A source close to the investigation said the on-board camera video was played at a high level post-incident meeting Monday afternoon. The source said the video showed the rail operator ran the light, while pedestrians in the crosswalk had a walk signal.
"Until we've come to a total conclusion on that, I'm not prepared to say what actually transpired," METRO Police Chief Tom Lambert said.
The cyclist was hit as she crossed the tracks on Fannin Street near Macgregor Drive shortly before 5 p.m. Friday.
Rail operators follow their own set of lights, which are white lines. Vertical means go and horizontal means stop.
The video showed the rail approaching the intersection with the light already horizontal. The cyclist was seen looking up at the train just before she disappeared under it. She was trapped until rescuers cut her bike apart.
Just after the collision, police said the 29-year-old physician riding her bike appeared to be at fault.
"We know that she was wearing headphones," Lambert said, "She was riding bike, not looking to what happened."
Lambert said Monday that he was no longer positive that the cyclist was at fault.
"Honestly, I don't know the answer to that," he said.
The METRO footage shown in the video version of the story posted on the KPRC website clearly shows a horizontal bar (the signal to stop), the bicyclist beginning to cross on what she probably assumed was a valid crossing signal, and the bicyclist disappearing under the train. The Danger Train driver seems clearly to be at fault for ignoring the stop signal.
And this brings us to a point that we emphasize frequently here: When you lay at-grade rail down already congested and busy streets, you leave little room for operator error (by pedestrians and by drivers of trains, auto vehicles, wheelchairs, and bikes -- as we've seen frequently). In contrast, rail that is segregated from vehicular and pedestrian traffic is going to be safer than rail that is not. We're not sure why pointing this out tends to agitate some people so much -- but we are pretty sure that we'll be posting similar sorts of stories when the same at-grade-rail mistakes are repeated down busy Richmond.
UPDATE: Well, what do you know -- the Chronicle decided to do its job and cover this story too (and there's even some additional information):
A video of the accident, taken from cameras on the train and released by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, shows the track signal displaying a horizontal line, which means the operator is not to proceed. Metro released a statement Monday saying the accident was "preventable" and that investigation is continuing.
The Chronicle has filed an open records request for the identities of the cyclist and the train operator — information Metro has routinely released in the past but declined to reveal about this accident.
The passenger, Mark Vance, said he was in the second seat from the front left of the train and could see both the cyclist and several pedestrians in the crosswalk ahead as the train edged forward.
"There were a lot of people, and I also saw this girl on the bicycle and keeping up with the people in the crosswalk," Vance said.
"The train was not stopping," he said. "Never did she (the operator) toot her horn, and never applied the brakes."
[snip]
Vance said he offered to give information after the accident to a police officer at the scene but was told that would not be necessary because police had witnessed it. Vance said he could not recall the officer's name or department.
[snip]
Early reports said the woman was wearing headphones and not paying attention as the train approached, but Vance said it appeared that she and the pedestrians had the right of way.
He said he did not see any headphones.
METRO's not releasing information? That doesn't seem consistent with Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson's pronouncement about running the organization in a "in a completely transparent manner."
ANNE LINEHAN ADDS: What an incredible display of arrogance by METRO in handling this accident. METRO Police Chief Lambert immediately blamed the victim, then was forced to backtrack when local media pursued the tapes. Now we learn there was a witness who wanted to tell METRO Police what he saw, but he was turned down! Have you EVER heard of a police department that refuses to take an eyewitness report?? Unless there was something to hide, of course.
THEN Sallee's story notes that wasn't the first accident of the day! How many accidents are still occurring? Good grief. What a mess. Just wait 'til that at-grade rail is running up and down Richmond.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/12/08 12:04 PM | Print |
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