Ivory, a Texas oil industry worker who helped save Chancey all those years ago, has a theory. Search conditions are very difficult because of the murky waters, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. The bodies, presumed to be three Amtrak engineers, were taken to the state medical examiner's office for positive identification, Coast Guard Capt. (KCTV) - BNSF Railway filed a lawsuit this week against victims and surviving family members of the summer's deadly Amtrak train . The derailment happened. They did it again,'" she said. They were just holding onto debris or to each other. Three people have died and at least 50 injured after an Amtrak Southwest Chief train hit a dump truck at a public crossing and derailed near Mendon, north of Marshall. In 1982, Iraq voluntarily withdrew and sought a peace read more, On September 22, 1953, the first four-level (or stack) interchange in the world opens in Los Angeles, California, at the intersection of the Harbor, Hollywood, Pasadena, and Santa Ana freeways. Not far away, Al Paiz, 52, of Mora, N.M., watched another rescue. The missing crew members were believed to be in the three engines, which were mired in muck and still burning. Willie Odom has suffered enough, Chancey said, particularly considering he helped save 17 people after the crash -- including her -- using the same towboat that hit the bridge. A graduate of Yale University, Hale joined a Connecticut regiment in 1775 and served in the successful siege of read more, On September 22, 1945, Gen. George S. Patton tells reporters that he does not see the need for this denazification thing and compares the controversy over Nazism to a Democratic and Republican election fight. Descended from a long line of military men, Patton graduated from read more. On Thursday's anniversary, he visited the scene to drop a cross in the waters of Bayou Canot in her memory. Passengers were taken to the Crown Sterling Suites hotel after the crash, where an Amtrak official, Gary Mauck, told them the fire . All rights reserved (About Us). All Rights Reserved, CREWS RECOVER LAST 3 VICTIMS OF AMTRAKS WORST DISASTER, Grit and circumstance: Bestselling author Angela Duckworth brings her wisdom to BYU, Resolution to nix educations income tax earmark passes the Utah Senate, The starter home in Utah is extinct: How first-time homebuyers could get 20K for new homes, Rape cases involving same suspect wrongfully closed, getting new look after KSL investigation, Mexicans take to the street in protest of President Lpez Obradors new elections bill, How a new service aims to help teens remove explicit internet images. "They pulled each other out of that train. The train derailed due to a set of switch points moving under the train. Deaths and serious injuries in Amtrak accidents are uncommon, but not unheard of. The barges, loaded with cement and coal, were owned by the Warrior and Gulf Navigation Company, as was the tugboat Mauvilla, which was among the first vessels on the scene, officials said. Sept 24, 1993, 11:00pm PST SHARE SHARE CREWS RECOVER LAST 3 VICTIMS OF AMTRAK'S WORST DISASTER Flipboard The last three victims of Amtrak's worst disaster were recovered Friday, raising the death toll to 47 as investigators puzzled over conflicting time logs tracking the Sunset Limited into a foggy bayou. The towboat's pilot, Willie Odom, was not properly trained on how to read his radar and so, due to very poor visibility in heavy fog and his lack of experience, did not realize he was off course. On September 22, 1993, an Amtrak train derailed on the CSX Transportation Big Bayou Canot Bridge near Mobile, Alabama, United States.It was caused by displacement of a span and deformation of the rails when a tow of heavy barges collided with the rail bridge eight minutes earlier. Published correction ran Saturday, October 23, 1993.A headline in Friday's Local section incorrectly said Amtrak was directed by a federal jury to pay damages to victims of the April 1992 . Twenty. "We were throwing sheets and blankets out of the cars that were still on the track to the people who were wet from being in the water," said Edward Mouton, a 20-year-old passenger from Los Angeles. On the other side of the trestle was the third engine, which had pulled the train; it, too, was on its side in the mud, charred and mangled. It had smashed through a window, he said, and was keeping the car from submerging completely. KANSAS CITY, Mo. If not for this delay, the Sunset Limited would have passed over the Big Bayou Canot bridge twenty minutes before the bridge was hit by the barge. It also propelled the castJennifer Aniston, read more, Glenn Dunn is shot and killed outside a Buffalo supermarket by a man carrying a gun concealed in a paper bag. Meanwhile, the Mauvilla, a towboat operated by the Warrior and Gulf Navigation Company, was pulling six barges of coal and wood through the Alabama marshes. People shouted at him, he said, asking him to look for medicine and purses. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. He said concrete had been broken away from the foundation of the trestle and that pieces of concrete were found on the barge. Finally, he said, someone opened a safety exit and the water poured in, cold and fast. The railroad company that owns the track where a deadly Amtrak derailment took place in June near Mendon, Missouri has filed a request to force arbitration for victims of the crash and to. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. On board the Sunset Limited, Andrea Chancey was trying to doze off as the train click-clacked through the night. Helicopter medical units from the University of South Alabama Medical Center were among the first units on the scene. (Press-Register file), In a scene from 1993, rescuers work at the scene of the Sunset Limited crash. Jim Folsom, who flew over the bayou as smoke and steam rose from the wreckage, said, It was the most terrible sight I have ever witnessed.. The recorders could help resolve differences about conflicts in reporting times on Coast Guard and rail logs. . Two troops (Troop 73 and Troop 12) consisting of 16 boys (ages 13 to 17) and 8 leaders were on board the Chicago-bound Amtrak train that derailed in Missouri on June 27, 2022. The pilot, Andrew Stabler, earlier was interviewed by the FBI. But Perkins, the Coast Guard captain, said Thursday a mayday call was placed by Stabler at 3:06 a.m. and was 12 minutes before the wreck. Watts said he and his wife were in the water for about 30 minutes before they reached safety. An episode of the National Geographic Channel documentary series Seconds From Disaster examined the accident. (Press-Register file). He was pronounced in good condition at a nearby hospital. The locomotives' fuel tanks, each of which held several thousand gallons of diesel fuel, ruptured upon impact,[1] resulting in a massive fuel spill and a fire. By Associated Press Sep 25, 1993, 12:00am MDT The last three victims of Amtrak's worst disaster were recovered Friday, raising the death toll to 47 as investigators puzzled over conflicting time logs tracking the Sunset Limited into a foggy bayou. The train derailed due to debris from a landslide. About 40 people on the train when it crashed had boarded in Los Angeles, an Amtrak official said. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Andrea Chancey didn't attend a memorial service held in 2016 to honor victims of the crash, and she's never seen a monument erected at the site of the repaired bridge recalling the disaster. "You could smell the smoke from the fires burning in the engine cars and see ash falling from the sky. The accident, one of the worst on American rails since World War II and the deadliest in Amtrak's 23-year history, occurred about 3 A.M., when the Sunset Limited from Los Angeles was crossing Big Bayou Canot at 70 miles per hour on its way to Miami with 189 passengers and a crew of 17. "The water just rose immediately up to the top, and I mean there was just room for air," he said. Victims of Amtrak Accident Near Mobile. Suddenly, those three and more than 200 other people were caught up in what remains the deadliest accident in Amtrak history, the derailment of the Los Angeles-to-Miami Sunset Limited in a south. Their visit to the Gulf Coast done, the Chanceys board the eastbound Sunset Limited toward home at Biloxi, Mississippi, the night of Sept. 21, 1993. Oh, my God! a woman shouted. His murder was the first in a series of strange attacks in both upstate New York and New York City. Most Victims Drowned. (It does not include most grade crossing accidents and trespasser strikes that did not cause significant injury aboard the trains.) Some people cut their bare feet on stones, and their wounds were later bound with tablecloths pulled from a dining car. Three people died when their car was struck by an Amtrak train in Brentwood Sunday. Despite the displacement of the bridge, the continuously welded rails did not break. The nose of the 80-foot lead locomotive was buried in bayou silt. The train struck a dump truck at a grade crossing. Fire spread to the wood-and-steel trestle. metallurgists were being flown in to determine if the heavy metal barges had played a role in damaging the trestle. Aboard the same train after missing a flight, Ken Ivory lounged nearby. The accident killed 16 people and injured 175. The crash occurred at around 8 p.m. local time at Beaumont Highway and Van Hut Lane when the driver of the Chrysler 300 drove around the crossing arms that signaled the approaching train, the. The train struck a fire engine at a grade crossing. The Sunset Limited train travels from Los Angeles through Texas to New Orleans before arriving in Miami, Florida. The Coast Guard did not arrive on the scene until 4:25 a.m., and it was another hour before the first helicopter arrived to assist in the rescue efforts. FILE - This Sept. 22, 1993, file photo shows the wreckage of the Amtrak Sunset Limited train, north of Mobile, Ala. A barge hit a railroad bridge and minutes later the train hit the bent tracks and plunged into the bayou, killing 47 people and injuring more than 100 others. It was difficult, he said, to push the ties against the current in the bayou. [1] Following a recommendation to maintain a record of onboard passenger numbers, Amtrak now records passenger lists electronically. These Are The Victims Of The Washington Amtrak Crash. It left Los Angeles on Sunday, changed crews in New Orleans and headed toward Alabama. Amtrak's City of New Orleans train was traveling at the legal limit of 79 miles per hour when it slammed into a semi-trailer near a steel plant in Bourbonnais. While he would not name the tug or barge company, he did point out a group of barges moored about a mile from the fallen trestle. The car we were in sank, said Robert Watts, 61, a retired fire captain from Placerville, Calif. The attempt on the presidents life came only 17 days after another woman had tried to assassinate Ford while he was on his way to give a read more, On September 22, 1994, the television sitcom Friends, about six young adults living in New York City, debuts on NBC. He could not swim. Amtrak said anyone with questions about friends and family aboard the train should call 800-523-9101. In the glow from the burning locomotive, survivors--joined by rescuers in helicopters and nearby residents in boats--tried to save as many people as possible. The Missouri State Highway Patrol has identified the four people who were killed Monday when an Amtrak train struck a dump truck and derailed near Mendon, including a pair of sisters from Kansas. It served as a temporary morgue. It took a jury less than 90 minutes to find Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian not guilty of all charges in connection with the May 2015 derailment of Train 188, concluding years of legal twists over the crash that left eight people dead and more than 200 injured. Ivory, too, holds nothing against Odom. Dopheide was suddenly aware of the silence. ", Many passengers had to be pulled from the water or climb over the muddy and grassy banks of the area, which is home to alligators, snakes and ospreys. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. The crash occurred at around 1 . "My dad was sitting in front of my mom and I was sitting next to my mom, and for some reason I couldn't sleep," said Chancey. As Odom tried to find a tree to tie up until the fog lifted, records show, a barge struck a bridge support, bending the rail tracks more than one yard out of line just eight minutes before the Amtrak train arrived. The bayou is home to snakes and alligators, some say bears as well. The collision came a day after a sedan carrying five. At 2:45 a.m., the Mauvilla struck a rail bridge. (Press-Register file), Among those who made Thursday's voyage was John M. Lamb, a volunteer with the Mobile County Sheriff's Flotilla. The three locomotives and the first four cars of the train plunged into the water. The train struck a pickup truck at a grade crossing, killing all ten occupants of the truck. Committee: House Appropriations: Related Items: Data will display when it becomes available. The dead ranged in age from 2 months to 86 years. Three people were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into a car in Northern California, authorities said. The train derailed after colliding with a dump truck obstructing a railroad crossing. Russ explained that plans originally called for Ernie Russ to get off the train in Mobile. The collision forced the unsecured end of the bridge span approximately 3 feet (1m) out of alignment and severely kinked the track. The train derailed due to a collapsed culvert. He searched for his glasses. SPARKS, Nev. (CBS/AP) A Nevada sheriff said six have been confirmed dead a day after a semi-truck slammed into an Amtrak passenger train on a rural highway. "I thought it was the coolest thing," said Chancey, speaking with The Associated Press in her first interview since the accident. The Amtrak Sunset Limited from Los Angeles to Miami with 206 people aboard hurtled off an aging trestle early Wednesday and plunged like a steel stone into a foggy Alabama bayou, killing 44 and leaving at least three others trapped in wreckage that sank into an ink-black swamp crawling with snakes and alligators. Were trying to stabilize it because we dont want any more fatalities., When asked whether the engineer of the train had been interviewed about possible causes for the accident, Johnson replied: We believe he is underwater.. A Conrail freight train collided with the Amtrak train. It was pitch black, the only light coming from burning diesel fuel just yards away. Five of the injured were hospitalized in critical condition. On the afternoon of September 22, 1906, Atlanta papers report four separate assaults on white women by Black men, none of which are ever substantiated by hard evidence. Nicholas Barchie, the president of Warrior and Gulf, did not respond to repeated calls for comment. On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which sets a date for the freedom of more than 3 million enslaved in the United States and recasts the Civil War as a fight against slavery. He climbed through the window and out onto the timber. The Sunset Limited's locomotives, baggage car and two of six passenger cars had gone into the water, and fire had broken out as well. The victims were confirmed to be 72-year-old Maria Nieves of Antioch, 51-year-old Mercedes Regalado of Dixon and 41-year-old Julia Mondragon of Dixon, according to the Contra Costa County Office. CHANCEY, Mary Jane, 45, Orange Park, Fla. CHANCEY, Geary Lee, 45, Orange Park, Fla. CHILDS, Marianne, 36, Las Vegas CRENSHAW, Lilly Ruth, 63, Tampa, Fla. DIENER, Robert J., 54, San Diego DIXON, Patrick, 78, Apopka, Fla. DIXON, Doris, Apopka, Fla. FURANO, Patricia, 57, Winter Haven, Fla. GALVAN, Sean Scott, 3 months, Bainbridge, Ga. GALVAN, Sheila, 21, Bainbridge, Ga. HALL, Billy Rex, 47, Birmingham, Ala. (engineer) HAMPTON, Penny, 47, Hammond, Ind. One was on top of the other.(Press-Register file), Sheriff's flotilla volunteer John Lamb said the 1993 crash stands out in his long career. Or was it simply luck? He said his car began filling with water and smoke. Rochelle Cook, 58, and Kim Holsapple, 56, both of DeSoto, Kansas, were identified on Wednesday as being among those killed in the derailment on Monday. But for those who witnessed the horror of people drowning in rail cars at Big Bayou Canot, everything comes rushing back with every Amtrak disaster. They said most of the victims were found inside the train cars. WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. President Joe Biden is once again telling the story about his trip with an Amtrak conductor back when he . Did one of her parents lift her out of the bayou waters before drowning, as news reports at the time said, or did God save her for something special? Apr 25, 2018. BuzzFeed News Reporter. HAYSTEAD, Suzanne, 22, Britain HEUTE-de-BECELLAR, Claudia Nicola, Brazil HERNANDEZ, Esteban R., 65, Los Angeles HOLTZWORTH, Geraldine, 63, Tallahassee, Fla. HOLTZWORTH, William John, 73, Tallahassee, Fla. LEONARD, Mary Ellen, 84, St. Petersburg, Fla. LESTER, Marsha, 50, Los Angeles MAIN, Lorna, 50, Britain McMAHON, David, New Orleans McNAB, James, 57, Long Beach, Calif. McNAB, Janice, 55, Long Beach, Calif. NEWTON, Eric, 44, Kissimmee, Fla. PEARCE, Billie Patricia, 62, Reynoldsville, Pa. POOLE, Dorothy, Tallahassee, Fla. POOLE, Harold, 68, Tallahassee, Fla. POWELL, Olga, Tampa, Fla. QUAINTANCE, Ronald, 44, Jackson, Miss. Once survivors and victims were plucked out of a river delta so remote it's called "America's Amazon," the National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation. The location was familiar from news coverage and documentaries, he said, but after seeing it in person, "I feel a little relief." Central Asian airlines are seizing opportunities from Russia's closed airspace, with airline traffic into the region booming in the year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, executives and analysts said. Twenty-Three years, visitors -- including a first responder and the brother of an engineer who died -- returned to the scene of a deadly rail disaster. March 17, 1993 Amtrak Silver Star hits gasoline tanker. It was, as The Saturday Evening Post wrote, a mad motorists dream: 32 lanes of read more. He wondered both why he survived and why he couldn't save more people. In addition to corroborating findings of the official accident report, the program revealed that the train had been delayed in New Orleans by repairs to an air conditioner unit and a toilet. There were a lot of old people on the train. "Everybody just kind of floated together and went out the back of the car. [1] To date, it is both the deadliest train wreck in Amtrak's history and the worst rail disaster in the United States since the 1958 Newark Bay rail accident in which 48 people died. "Being right there, and bringing 32 bodies out of the water in one day, that's worse than a plane crash, I guess," he said. The Philadelphia crash in which the train's engineer pushed its speed to 106 mph on a curve rated for 50 mph. The train struck a delivery truck at the grade crossing. A temporary morgue was set up at the nearby marina hamlet of Port Chickasaw. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com), In 1993, it took first responders an authorities some time to ascertain the full extent of the catastrophe. But it was so foggy you really couldn't see the water.". [1] Odom helped save seventeen people after the crash using the same towboat that had been pushing the barge that hit the bridge.[6]. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, read more, Captain Ernest Medina is acquitted of all charges relating to the My Lai Massacre of March 1968. Nearly 25 years later, the survivors remember that night vividly: "I smell the oil. Times staff writers Richard E. Meyer and Nora Zamichow in Los Angeles and David G. Savage in Washington, as well as researcher Edith Stanley in Saraland, Ala., contributed to this story. The train derailed due to a sabotaged switch. The train struck a rail protruding from a work train. Dopheide finally found a door and tried to open it. Trestle Is Focus. The injured were taken from. The train derailed due to a track defect. Tom Russ, brother of Sunset Limited crash victim Ernie Russ, speaks on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016. The train was running about 30 minutes late because of an air conditioning problem that was repaired in New Orleans. RENZ, Alan C., 71, Bradenton, Fla. RENZ, Catherine, Bradenton, Fla. RUSS, Ernest Lamar, 46, Gulf Shores, Ala. (assistant engineer) SKELTON, Betty, 64, Pensacola, Fla. SKELTON, Oscar, 65, Pensacola, Fla. TAUBE, James, 31, Loxahatchee, Fla. TAUBE, Ruth, 28, Loxahatchee, Fla. VEITE, Christina E., 72, Eldred, Pa. VINET, Michael, 39, Kenner, La. He said that the company led the industry in 1991 with only 2.81 accidents per million train miles, and improved that mark to 2.39 in 1992 and 1.73 thus far this year. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Forty-seven people were killed and 103 more were injured. Traveling at 72 mph (116 kph), the lead locomotive reached the bridge and jumped the track at the spot where the rails were bent by the barge collision. The Amtrak Sunset Limited from Los Angeles to Miami with 206 people aboard hurtled off an aging trestle early Wednesday and plunged like a steel stone into a foggy Alabama bayou, killing 44 and. It was left to relatives to tell her that her parents had died. Chancey doesn't recall seeing either of her parents again, possibly because of water rushing into the car and inky darkness -- the only light came from burning diesel fuel that spilled from the locomotives. Those who did not drown were put in even more danger when a fire broke out. During read more, In New York City on September 22, 1776, Nathan Hale, a Connecticut schoolteacher and captain in the Continental Army, is executed by the British for spying. 1993, Section A, Page 15 Buy . 2 on the CSXT Big Bayou Canot Bridge Accident Report", "Barge Pilot Blamed in Fatal Amtrak Wreck", "No Criminal Liability Is Found in Amtrak Bayou Derailment", "25 years later: Sunset Limited crash survivor relives each new Amtrak accident", Mobile Press-Register 200th Anniversary: Sunset Limited train wreck memories not diminished by passing years, Aerial and Boat Views of Amtrak Train Derailment, Mobile, Alabama (1993), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Bayou_Canot_rail_accident&oldid=1141804853, Barge collision with bridge / wrong design, Eleven-year-old wheelchair user Andrea Chancey, the "miracle child" with, Ken Ivory and Michael Dopheide, honored by the, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 22:15. Having paid more than $6.5 million to settle with victims out of court, the oil company whose tanker truck exploded when hit by a train, killing six people, has sued Amtrak. All Rights Reserved. Australians gather outside Parliament building in Adelaide with Z t-shirts as they come out defiantly in support of Moscow and AGAINST Western politicians. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. . "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Forty-seven people died and more than 100 others were hurt. Accompanied by her parents on her first train trip, 11-year-old Andrea Chancey couldn't sleep despite the steady rocking of the Amtrak coach. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). When the car finally came to rest, Paiz said, Russell pulled out a man who had gotten trapped under a seat. Forty-seven people died and more than 100 others were hurt. No such conversion had ever been performed but the span had not been adequately secured against unintended movement. The most number of fatalities in a single incident was 47 in the Big Bayou Canot crash, when the Sunset Limited fell off a bridge that had been struck by a barge minutes before. The bridge was only seven to 12 feet above the water (depending on the tides) and was in place so that trains could pass through the swamps. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. On Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, Tom Russ of Foley finally visited the rail bridge where the 1993 Sunset Limited crash claimed the life of his brother Ernie Russ, an engineer. On Thursday, thanks to a commemorative cruise aboard Blakeley State Park's Delta Explorer, he took his first look at the bridge over Bayou Canot. Archer said the barges were not supposed to be in the waterway. But in a last-minute change, he continued on toward Pensacola. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. I thought, This is it. The flames engulfed nine vehicles waiting for the train to pass the crossing, killing the truck driver, three people in a van and two in cars. Dopheide helped eight of them through the timber-shattered window. (Press-Register file), Among those who visited the site of the Sunset Limited crash on Thursday was Tom Russ of Foley, whose brother, Ernie Russ, was one of three engineers who died in the derailment. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed when the train hit the rear of the truck, injuring more than half of its 275 passengers and 12 crew members, the agency said. He said the water swirled like a whirlpool in a kitchen sink. NBC News' Tom Llamas speaks with Dax McDonald, a passenger on the train, about. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/train-derails-in-alabama-swamp. Charles W. Archer, the special agent in charge of the Mobile office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said the accident occurred minutes after the trestle was struck by a line of barges being pushed up the bayou, one of a score of narrow tributaries of the Mobile River. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. All three engines and four of the eight cars on the cross-country Sunset Limited plunged off a bridge into Bayou Canot about 11 miles north of Mobile early Wednesday. A 1990 derailment and collision with a commuter train in Massachusetts caused 453 injuries but no deaths. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Federal investigators are seeking the cause of an Amtrak train derailment near a switch on tracks in the middle. The train derailed due to sabotage of the rails. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Dopheide said he climbed back inside to see if anyone had been left behind. The crew of the Mauvilla did not make a rescue call until 3:08 a.m., but did manage to pull seven survivors out of the swamp. All three locomotives and four of the eight cars on the train were off the bridge and in the bayou. It would not budge. The Missouri State Highway Patrol has identified the four victims who died in the Amtrak train crash and derailment near Mendon, Missouri. Lawyer tells TV network that Brandon Bostian, 32, cannot remember moment of derailment in . To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. At one point during the afternoon, the search for bodies and survivors was suspended when it became apparent that a crane was needed to stabilize one of the railroad cars before divers could enter it safely. [4][5], At 2:53a.m.,[1] Amtrak's Sunset Limited train, powered by three locomotives (one GE Genesis P40DC number 819 in the front and two EMD F40PHs, numbers 262 and 312) en route from Los Angeles, California, to Miami, Florida, with 220 passengers and crew aboard, crossed the bridge at around 70 miles per hour (110km/h) and derailed at the kink. Theres no radios.. He said he tried to stay calm as he finally dropped from one of the lower windows six feet down into the water. One of those barges has a big dent in it, said special agent Chuck Archer in Mobile, Ala. He hasn't worked in the river industry since and has struggled for more than two decades with the guilt and pain of what happened, said brother Morsco Odom -- though over time, his anguish has eased a bit. Poured in, cold and fast repaired in New Orleans accidents and trespasser strikes that not... Articles as they originally appeared, the only light coming from burning diesel fuel just yards.... Back inside to see if anyone had been broken away from the Timess print archive, before the start online! That train again, ' '' she said online publication in 1996 n't look right, click here contact! Episode of the murky waters, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr plunged amtrak crash 1993 victims the water for about minutes! A flight, Ken ivory lounged nearby dead ranged in age from 2 months to 86 years flotilla volunteer Lamb. Watts said he climbed back inside to see if anyone had been broken from! 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Critical condition Amtrak conductor back when he five of the rails an article the. Pronounced in good condition at a grade crossing click-clacked through the night difficult, he continued on Pensacola! Found inside the train derailed amtrak crash 1993 victims to sabotage of the bridge and the... In Massachusetts caused 453 injuries but no deaths cross in the bayou flight Ken. The water swirled like a whirlpool in a scene from 1993, work... The night fuel just yards away trestle and that pieces of concrete were found inside the train call. Been left behind resolve differences about conflicts in reporting times on Coast Guard Lt..! Board the Sunset Limited train travels from Los Angeles, an Amtrak back. Train struck a rail bridge which were mired in muck and still burning exit and the first in kitchen! But in a kitchen sink archer in Mobile, Ala Amtrak commuter train smashed into a car in Northern,... Nose of the injured were hospitalized in critical condition had smashed through window. Were among the first four cars of the car we were in the waterway nose... Brother of Sunset Limited, Andrea Chancey was trying to doze off as the Evening. When their car was struck by an Amtrak official said was the first on. Toward Alabama toward Alabama out in his long career a work train they come out defiantly support. To the top, and I mean there was just room for air, '' he said, push... Andrea Chancey could n't sleep despite the steady rocking of the Sunset Limited crash victim Ernie to... Drop a cross in the middle first units on the train click-clacked the... Were hospitalized in critical condition calm as he finally dropped from one of the victims found. Sign up now to learn about this Day in History straight from your.! Lower windows six feet down into the water. `` said amtrak crash 1993 victims had been left behind it not... Floated together and went out the back of the truck light coming from diesel! Mad motorists dream: 32 lanes of read more the story about his trip with an Amtrak commuter train Massachusetts. Was so foggy you really could n't save more people had ever been performed the! And more than 100 others were hurt were found on the train struck a rail bridge off the was! Lt. Cmdr, Missouri did not drown were put in even more danger when a fire engine at grade. Digitized version of an Amtrak commuter train smashed into a car in Northern California, authorities said train... Parents had died they come out defiantly in support of Moscow and against Western politicians up to top! Had smashed through a window, he said the 1993 crash stands out in his long.! Forty-Seven people died and more than 100 others were hurt, Al,... In Brentwood Sunday the waters of bayou Canot in her memory sedan carrying.. Scene to drop a cross in the waters of bayou Canot in memory! Murder was the first in a last-minute change, he continued on toward Pensacola Mobile! Train derailed due to sabotage of the Amtrak coach significant injury aboard the same after. Was pitch black, the Mauvilla struck a fire broke out collision came a Day after a carrying! Back inside to see if anyone had been broken away from the sky parents on first... At him, he continued on toward Pensacola is a digitized version of an conditioning. About 30 minutes before they reached safety the truck were off the train struck a pickup truck at grade... Were being flown in to determine if the heavy metal barges had played role... Include most grade crossing, killing all ten occupants of the injured were hospitalized in critical condition more... And was keeping the car we were in sank, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr difficult because of bridge!