The train collided with a CSX freight train. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. It had smashed through a window, he said, and was keeping the car from submerging completely. When the car finally came to rest, Paiz said, Russell pulled out a man who had gotten trapped under a seat. 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. [2] Odom believed that he was still on the Mobile River and had identified the bridge in the radar as another tug boat. KANSAS CITY, Mo. He said the water swirled like a whirlpool in a kitchen sink. The train struck a gasoline tanker at a grade crossing. A fire of unknown cause took place in a passenger car. The NTSB's chief investigator, Russ Gober, conceded Friday that confusion exists over the accident reporting times, but he said such time differences are "quite common in accident investigations.". The 3,000-horsepower, 240-ton engine flew across the bayou, embedding in about 46 feet of mud on the opposite bank. Archer, special agent in charge of the Mobile office of the FBI, said his investigators were looking into three possible causes: sabotage, structural defects and the likelihood that the bridge had been rammed by barges. He was pronounced in good condition at a nearby hospital. BNSF Railway Co. has asked a federal court to require victims of a deadly Amtrak crash in Missouri to pursue settlements through arbitration, rather than lawsuits. Im ending my life here. , A woman with a 3-year-old boy shouted from across the aisle. Sheriffs Flotilla volunteer John Lamb said Thursday that it was hours before rescuers fully realized that some cars had been submerged. In 1993, it took first responders an authorities some time to ascertain the full extent of the catastrophe. After briefly attending Wright State University and a failed marriage, Chancey wound up back on the Mississippi coast in Biloxi, where she lives today in an apartment with an assistance dog. 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. While alligators normally flee a disturbance as big as a train crash, some passengers in the water-filled cars worried about the snakes, which might be more venturesome. The divers lifted bodies onto a barge. "I don't blame him one bit," Chancey said. The Chief, who arrived at the scene by helicopter shortly after the derailment, said, "It was like coming upon a ball of fire in a dense fog. Dr. G. P. Wanger, the Alabama State Medical Examiner, said preliminary examinations indicated that all of the victims drowned except two and that those died in the fire. Investigators said the bridge had been struck by a wayward barge in fog not long before. After midnight on Sept. 22, 1993, the tugboat Maubila made a wrong turn in heavy fog and hit a bridge over Bayou Canot. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! But Clifford Black, a company spokesman, noted that the line's 48 previous fatalities since 1971 equaled the number of people killed on the nation's highways every eight hours. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Details on the bent track were included in hundreds of pages of [] For his part, Paiz said he helped other passengers out through a window on the lower side of his car. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com ), The 1993 crash of the Sunset Limited inspired Mobile-area songwriter Charles Cort to write a song titled "A Cross for Lorna," in honor of Lorna Main, a traveler from Scotland who was among those killed. 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. 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. Tasneem Nashrulla. Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn released a statement on the crash on Sunday, offering his condolences to the families who had lost a loved one in the crash, pledging to work with law enforcement to. The other two engines and three cars have yet to be recovered. 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. Anyone can read what you share. Ivory, a Texas oil industry worker who helped save Chancey all those years ago, has a theory. Flames spread from one of the three locomotives, Dopheide said, and people around him could not find emergency exits. Search conditions are very difficult because of the murky waters, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. 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. Not far away, Al Paiz, 52, of Mora, N.M., watched another rescue. They said most of the victims were found inside the train cars. "It was like victim helping victim when we got there," said Sharon Sprowls, chief flight nurse on one helicopter. Or was it simply luck? The accident killed 16 people and injured 175. A Georgia couple celebrating their 50th anniversary was among those killed when the train derailed. But in a last-minute change, he continued on toward Pensacola. 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. [1] Following a recommendation to maintain a record of onboard passenger numbers, Amtrak now records passenger lists electronically. 1993, Section A, Page 15 Buy . 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. Two of the disasters 47 victims died from burns. Amtrak said anyone with questions about friends and family aboard the train should call 800-523-9101. Bill Crosson of Tallahassee, Fla., and his wife, Vivian, who were passengers in another car, said they barely escaped drowning. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. It was dark. The train derailed due to a cracked rail. GPS guidance systems and improved radar have made it much less likely that a heavy vessel could hit it, and guides of Thursday's Blakeley Explorer tour said that trains have better warning systems as well. Australians gather outside Parliament building in Adelaide with Z t-shirts as they come out defiantly in support of Moscow and AGAINST Western politicians. Forty-seven people were killed and 103 more were injured. Sheriff's Flotilla volunteer John Lamb said Thursday that in the initial hours of the response, the scene was illuminated only by moving spotlights, flashlights and the flames of burning fuel. Within two days, three other young men were murdered. It is known for carrying older people who prefer not to make the trip by air or car. One was killed read more, In an important victory for his Cold War foreign policy, President John F. Kennedy signs legislation establishing the Peace Corps as a permanent government agency. Among the first rescuers on the scene were the crews of the tugboats Scott Pride and Mauvilla. He placed most of his emphasis upon the barges. WILSON, John, 62, Lyon, Miss. Steve Day, left, and the park's director of excursions, Mike Bunn, explained the scenario leading up to the derailment. 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. One of the cars was for baggage, another was a dormitory car for the crew. Its crew members were still inside. It's particularly true for Chancey, whose parents both died in the crash. The Sunset Limited train travels from Los Angeles through Texas to New Orleans before arriving in Miami, Florida. He just thought, Hey, this is a great game! . The other two were passenger coaches. 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. The Churchill County Sheriff's. The train derailed on a curve due to excessive speed. Four of the eight coaches also plunged into the bayou. No, one of them replied. The three locomotives and the first four cars of the train plunged into the water. Amtrak crash victims being identified as driver's name emerges. Mr. Archer noted, as did Secretary Pena, that at least one locomotive had "literally flown through the air. More than 40 people were killed early today when part of an Amtrak train hurtled off a 12-foot-high trestle into a bayou and caught fire, trapping sleeping passengers in black water up to 30 feet deep. BuzzFeed News Reporter. They were found lashed together and moored in the Mobile River about a quarter of a mile from the crash site. The train derailed due to spreading of the rail. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com ), In a scene from 1993, rescuers work at the scene of the Sunset Limited crash. Were going to die.. "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. Watts said he and his wife were in the water for about 30 minutes before they reached safety. The nose of the 80-foot lead locomotive was buried in bayou silt. As of Wednesday, at least 13 remained hospitalized. I guess I was physically moving, Watts said later, but I wasnt mentally coherent until the water rose to my waist and I realized, Hey this is serious, this is not a damn dream. . Two locomotives, Amtrak GE P32-8BWH #511 leading and EMD F40PHR #398 trailing, and eight of twelve cars derailed, four of them falling 30 feet (9 m) off a trestle bridge into a dry river bed. 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