Video via Facebook
CHICAGO — Dramatic dashcam video captured a near-miss in November between a Metra commuter train and as many as three vehicles at a suburban Chicago crossing where the warning lights and gates had malfunctioned.
The video, taken from a police squad car, shows the vehicle just about to enter the crossing as the fast-moving train also arrives. The driver, identified as Mokena, Ill., Police Officer Peter Stanglewicz, swerves hard left and drove across the raised median as the train passes.
According to Metra, the incident occurred around 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 9, involving Metra train 506 at the crossing at 191st Street at the Metra Rock Island Line tracks. The train was inbound to LaSalle Street Station.
Stanglewicz’s squad car was just a few car lengths behind an SUV, which made it safely through the crossing. Another car could be seen approaching from the opposite direction.
Metra spokesperson Katie Dahlstrom said a Metra signal maintainer happened to be at the site at the time on a separate issue, and the crossing was shut down to trains until the malfunction was investigated and repaired by 3:40 p.m. that day.
The malfunction was traced to an electrical short in a hand throw switch, Dahlstrom said. The switch controlled a nearby siding used by a lumber yard.
Metra said it “aggressively tested” the crossing and reported the incident to the Federal Railroad Administration. As a backup, crews have been instructed to take additional precautions there using visual signals, Dahlstrom said.
The Illinois Commerce Commission website reports no incidents at that grade crossing from 2012 to the last update in 2017.
The incident first came to light after Stanglewicz posted the video on his personal Facebook page Dec. 21. As of Wednesday afternoon, the video had attracted more than 500,000 views.
Stanglewicz posted: “Throughout my life, I’ve had very little luck. I’ve bought tons of raffle tickets, from little league tickets to charity raffles. Every lottery ticket was a loser. I just thought I wasn’t born with luck at all. Little did I know, I had luck, I was just saving it all up for the perfect time. Here is all my luck being used ALL AT ONCE. If I never win anything again, I’m perfectly fine with that.”
“The village of Mokena is thankful that there were no injuries to Officer Stanglewicz or any other motorists as a result of this unfortunate incident,” according to a statement from the Mokena Polce Department.
Now on this day when RR crossing barriers are bring down as I counted 16 to 18 seconds (A timer is between the gates are fully down with the train is approached on street) is not enough time to run or drive out of the track(s) which was bring number of accidents. Those days in the 50 to 70ish the RR barriers on holding (gates are down) at average was 40 to 45 seconds is less accident is given more time to leave from the track(s) as well longer length of the vehicle such as SUV, larger rigs, larger hauling trailers, with travel trailer, larger bus, slow farm equipment, and more during driving slowly off from the track(s) plus pedestrians or with slow walking children as well baby stroller too, plus, difficulty carry shopping bags and elders are difficult walking on track(s). It’s need to adjust the timer to longer length before the trains are approaching plus, on these day the trains are increased the speed before enter the street/roadway is lack of time!
cant blame that one on driver error, The patrolmen was dam lucky indeed , new underwear was called for I,m sure !
Odd that a Metra signal maintainer is there and then a crossing malfunction occurs. Did he/she not see a train coming and no activation started? I am not certain I buy Metra’s explanation.
Geez! That was a close call!!
The drivers view to the left was obstructed by the same lumber yard, whose throw switch was malfunctioning. There are several stacks of wrapped lumber stacked along the road which kept drivers from seeing the trains lights in time.
The officer involved is lucky his car didn’t skid or spin into the train itself as it was a wet, cold day.
As for the other 2 drivers, it was their day to live on.
Just to add one more memory that I trust has been rectified – I recall grade crossings of FEC in southern Florida where there was a traffic light beyond the track crossing that backed up cars across the tracks if there was heavy traffic.
CURT – Re hi-rails. So noted. My question is why there isn’t another way to activate the signal such as by radio.
It appears to me the building to the left just before the crossing obstructs the view of the tracks in that direction until the last minute. It is also apparent the tracks approach this crossing on an angle which – when combined with the building – further impedes the view to the left.
Contrary to the earlier opinion; I’d say the police officer WAS using his peripheral vision. Without that and the angel on his shoulder; this would have ended very badly.
Regarding Hi-Rail vehicles, it is intentional that the wheels are insulated so they do NOT shunt the rails and thus do not activate any signals. Why? This is speculation but I’m pretty sure it is because with the low weight and just two guide axles (carrying very little weight) they will not shunt the track circuit RELIABLY and it is better that their operators do not get lulled into a false sense of complacency. Better to stay alert at all times than think the signals are protecting you from trains.
John Stjohn: I’m not on Facebook and I was able to view the video just fine.
Then there was the Detroit fire truck parked on the tracks after responding to a vehicle fire. Got hit by an Amtrak train.
That police officer needs to go to driver training school…does he not use his peripheral vision when driving? How could he not see the train coming from his left until the last minute. Wait…don’t answer that because I already know most people don’t use their peripheral vision when driving. As for Donald Armstrong’s comment, did you read the story? They signal maintainer was there for an entirely different problem, but did his job and took the crossing out of service until the problem could be identified and fixed.
I’m not joining Facebook to watch this video. Post the darn link.
I think the signal maintainer knows more than he is saying!
I remember as a small child in 1950’s Huntsville (Alabama), Southern Railway had no crossing gates on Church Street next to the passenger station and on Meridian Street (formerly US 231/431) crossing the same tracks at least 100 yards east of the station. Both crossings had light and bell signals, but no gates.
An overpass has since been built for Meridian Street to cross Norfolk Southern, now reduced to one track.
Never trust a grade crossing signal. Always look both ways before you commit to crossing the track. It is, after all, your fundament on the line.
In Calgary, Alberta there is a tunnel where the C-train comes out onto a grade crossing, (Lion’s Part Station). There is a grade signal but because of the way the thing is laid out it is possible to get trapped in the path of the C-train when the arms come down. If you are trapped by such a thing, drive through the arms (and live to litigate later), or if that is not possible get out of the car and get the hell away from it. Only the living can litigate for damages – this might be nice for your heirs and assigns, but it does you no good.
AND NEVER, EVER, STOP ON THE TRACKS!!!
The above comments are general in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Find your own damn lawyer.
Man, this guy is both lucky and a quick thinker. I don’t know if I would have been quick enough to make that hard left turn. This adds credence to the saying that “quiet zones kill”.
Another reason these municipalities needs to step up grade seperation. While these incidents are rare. You don’t take the chance..
At least a quarter mile away the gates should of been down, I’m no expert on the issue. 3 very lucky people. One more thing, the Engineer should of been honking that horn, even in a quiet zone if he saw those gates up, but We dont know if he/she saw those gates up or not. But he did see the first vehicle cross so what the heck was he looking at?
I see a signal maintainer at the control point and then the gates came down after the train passed. So did the maintainer trip the gates afterwards for safety or did the maintainer mess up and caused the gates to be late.
With modern technology and ever increased population we need new tech signals. Engineer should receive positive info that they are working and videos of vehicles blocking the tracks. And I wouldn’t complain about cameras and software fining automobiles and pedestrians ignoring signals.
One thing I’ve never understood is why there’s no way for a hi-rail vehicle to activate a gate (at least at most crossings). The hi-rail crew blows the whistle, stops, looks both ways, prays to whichever god, and proceeds through. A railroad crossing is the equivalent of a pedestrian crossing mid-block. If motorists don’t see the rail crossing signal they don’t expect cross traffic and they don’t look for it.
Once I saw the aftermath of a vehicle hitting a crossing gate at LaGrange, Illinois. This was LaGrange Road, a very busy main street. The flashing lights still worked but the gate arm was totaled. Police came immediately, BNSF train crews flagged the crossing starting with the next train through, and a BNSF signal crew responded within a half hour with a new arm. In other words, everything good that could have happened did happen. Of course you cannot assume the best will happen in every case.
Wisconsin traffic signal engineers are happy they don’t work in Illinois where in many cases parallel roads are directly alongside the railroad tracks. If something happens on the road parallel to the tracks (an accident, a slow-moving snow plow throwing up a snow barrier, etc.), it can become impossible to clear a vehicle on the road crossing the track. A vehicle can enter the railroad crossing believing it can exit, then get trapped in a traffic platoon which has broken down. It has happened, to a school bus crossing UP- Metra Northwest at I believe Mt. Prospect, Illinois. Seven children died.
One more reminder to motorists (not that they read this blog). Don’t stop after crossing a rail line because the next car behind you can get stuck on the tracks. This happened in Elm Grove, Wisconsin, where a car suddenly stopped to unload its passengers for a Memorial Day parade. The car behind (also filled with holiday parade viewers) was hit by a CP train. Ironically, the same thing almost happened to me a year later at the next crossing east. A car in front of me stopped dead on the street, trying to decide whether or not to pull into a gasoline station. While they were thinking about it, I was stuck on the track blowing my horn like crazy. Eventually, they gave me “the finger” then moved on.
Anybody notice the signal maintainers working in the box in the last frame of the video? Betcha that whatever they were working on was the cause of the malfunctioning gates. Probably went right home to do their laundry.
Two things activate the crossing warning signals: 1) an approaching train where the signal system estimates the train speed and activates the crossing so it is down 20 seconds before the train arrives 2) Occupancy of the area in the near vicinity of the road. This is to prevent the gates from going up if the train stops in the road. Here the second one worked but the speed estimation system didn’t. Rather than have absolute distances that the gates would go down, federal rules allow the estimation system. The complexity of that system makes it vunerable to failure (track conditions, rain, …). So here we have a system that reduces the inconveniece to the driving public only to make the possibllity of catastrophic failure possible.
Um, where’s the video?