‘This should have been avoided’: Late warnings raise red flags in fatal train crash

Federal regulations require railway alert systems, such as gates and flashing lights, to activate at least 20 seconds before a train enters a crossing.

So why did warning devices deploy at the last moment as a pickup truck and a Union Pacific locomotive were on a collision course in Elgin?

Truck driver Martin Martinez Jimenez of Round Lake Beach died in the Oct. 23 crash and two passengers were injured.

“This should have been avoided based on the way it’s been reported, thus far,” said P.S. Sriraj, director of the Urban Transportation Center at the University of Illinois Chicago.

“There are important questions here that need to be answered to make sure our crossings are safe,” added DePaul University transportation Professor Joseph Schwieterman.

“Chicago is riddled with busy at-grade railroad crossings, so there isn't much margin for error.”

Conditions were dark but clear at about 6:30 a.m. as the northbound UP locomotive approached the State Street crossing in Elgin at 27 mph, a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report states. The locomotive, operating as Train MBEBE-22, was traveling under the 30 mph limit with a conductor and engineer aboard.

Landscaper Jimenez was heading south on State Street in a Ford F-250 with a trailer. The crossing near downtown Elgin was fully equipped with gates, lights and bells.

Train video showed traffic traversing the crossing in the seconds before the collision, the NTSB said.

“The train’s whistle sounded for the first time and the crossing’s warning devices activated when the train was near the edge of the crossing,” authorities said. “The truck entered the crossing from the train’s right immediately before the collision.”

Sriraj said that if the gates came down just as the train entered the crossing, “definitely something was missed.”

“It’s a tragedy, to say the least,” he added. “The (Ford driver) did what they were supposed to do. The train operator did what they were supposed to do.”

NTSB investigators inspected the locomotive and rails, tested the grade crossing system, and collected “foreign matter” samples from the rails.

Future work will focus on UP’s operating rules, policies and training, plus the performance of the train detection technology and warning systems, the agency said.

Railroads are responsible for maintaining warning devices on their property.

“Warning device malfunctions are very rare, but when this occurs, there are huge risks. Railroads follow strict procedures to ensure everything is working properly,” Schwieterman said.

UP Communications Director Kristen South said the railroad is cooperating with the NTSB and local authorities to finalize the investigation.

Asked about the status of the crossing, Illinois Commerce Commission Communications Director Kayli Baker said “with inspections and testing after the crash, the warning devices are operating as designed with adherence to the operating rules in place.”

Warning systems are typically activated by sensors that retrieve information on train distance and speed.

“I don’t know why the gates wouldn’t have been down if they were functioning the right way they were supposed to be. It’s a conundrum,” Sriraj said.

The NTSB probe could take months.

“Certainly on its face, it appears something went awry,” said Martin Oberman, former chair of both the U.S. Surface Transportation Board and Metra.

But it’s too early to make a call, Oberman noted.

“Whether it was a question of maintenance or design, or some unexpected act of God interfered, who knows?” he said.

One crucial takeaway for drivers: “Don’t zoom through a rail crossing because there’s no lights flashing,” Oberman cautioned.

Got a comment? Drop an email to mpyke@dailyherald.com.

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