By Jonathan Reed, Attorney & David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
A semi tractor trailer smashed through crossing gates and into two double-decker cars of an Amtrak train (The California Zephyr) at a highway crossing in Nevada. When the accident occurred, The California Zephyr was 300 miles east from its destination in Emeryville, California.
National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said that two truck drivers of a three-truck convoy saw the gates come down and the warning lights go off as the California Zephyr approached, but the lead driver in the front did not stop. The train’s engineer said that he saw the truck approaching the crossing and realized the crash was inevitable. He slammed on the emergency brakes, but the train was traveling about 78 mph and traveled a half mile before it could stop. The engineer watched the semi truck smash into the train through the rearview mirror. Investigators looked over the scene for any clues as to why the truck driver did not stop.
The Amtrak train- semi tractor trailer accident killed at least six people, including the truck driver and the conductor, Laurette Lee, 68, from South Lake Tahoe, California. Friends and family of Lee said that she came from a railroad family; her great grandfather and grandfather worked for railroad companies, her brother is an Amtrak dispatcher and her nephew is also an Amtrak conductor. For more information on this topic, see Drivers, engineer watched Nevada Amtrak crash unfold, killing 6