Amtrak #353 “Wolverine” hits car running crossing in Canton, Michigan
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT 5 teenagers attempt to beat a train on Hannan Road in Canton Township, Michigan. It was a tie. I feel sorry for the train crew who had to go through this and with no mention of how they felt or had to deal with this.
Canton Township — Police have completed the investigation into the July 9 fatal crash involving five young people killed in a Ford Fusion that was speeding along Hannan Road, north of Van Born, where the driver tried to beat an Amtrak passenger train. All five were killed instantly.
The conclusion tells a similar story as to what investigators knew at the time of the crash.
“It was tragically poor judgment,” said Sgt. James Harrison of the Canton Police Department.
The driver of the Ford Fusion, Daniel Broughton of Woodhaven, was traveling northbound on Hannan Road from Van Born, at a speed of approximately 70 mph and as the car he was driving approached the rail road tracks, Broughton slowed down to approximately 25 mph, police concluded.
Police said the speed limit for cars in that area is between 40-45 mph. The train crossing’s safety arm was lowered, and its alarms and sirens were flashing at the time, witnesses said.
Broughton crossed into the southbound lane of Hannan Road to pass a vehicle stopped on northbound Hannan. He then disregarded the flashing lights and gates at the railroad crossing, and drove his black Ford Fusion directly into the path of the westbound Amtrak train, police said.
The investigation consisted of interviewing witnesses, analyzing information from the “black box” retrieved from the vehicle, reviewing video from a local business and reviewing the footage from a video recorder on board the Amtrak train, footage that was recently released to The Detroit News under a Freedom of Information Act request.
“The black box can give you a wealth of information from speed to whether the car was accelerating or decelerating, seat belt usage and whether traffic signals were used,” Harrison said.
It is believed Broughton only slowed at the railroad tracks to navigate the turn from the safety gates being lowered. “There was no intent to look or stop,” Harrison said.
Broughton died along with Jessica Sadler, 14, of Wayne; Eddie Gross, 17, of Taylor; Sean Harris, 19, of Taylor; and brother Terrence Harris, 21, of Stafford, Va.
There was no indication that alcohol was present in any of the victims.
http://detnews.com/article/20090827/METRO01/908270484
Duration : 0:2:56
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I couldve sworn …
I couldve sworn that the signal that car got hit at did had signal gates. Dumbass (the Car driver)
after that the …
after that the dynamic brake grids must have been hot as !
WOW is all I can …
WOW is all I can think. What a shame for everyone involved
Always sucks when …
Always sucks when Darwin Candidates take innocent victims along with them…..this is why humanity is a FAIL.
when I was going by …
when I was going by that train track a few weeks after the aciddent I saw flowers on this thing for them and some of the people in that crash were some of my friends really close friends or relative
Just a technicality …
Just a technicality…but the driver was operating the car with a SUSPENDED license. It was not like he was a novice driver who had never had a license.
While your statement is basically true, it could be misleading. -Jason-
very sad. been …
very sad. been there done that.
That really sucks! …
That really sucks! If only some people weren’t so stupid! My heart goes out to the crew of Amtrak 353, family, relitives, and everyone who had to go through this. Also, RIP to the 4 teens who lost their lives because of one idiot!
I really feel for: …
I really feel for:
The passenger(s) of the white SUV that the Fusion passed while trying to beat the train. They witnessed it all.
The crew, who sadly discovered 5 mangled bodies.
The passenger(s) in the white pick-up truck, who must have had a fright seeing that.
The families of the 4 innocent teenagers.
Amen to that.
Amen to that.
VERY SAD video! …
VERY SAD video! makes this even worse the driver of that ford fushion didnt even have a driver license.
i agree & i think …
i agree & i think anyone who is cited for going around gates should be shown actual video or photos of what happens to people after they’ve been hit by a train…thank God i’ve never seen that but from your comment & others, i can imagine just how awful it must be to see that…
how can you be so …
how can you be so mean spirited? there was only ONE a-hole in the car & that was the driver… none of them deserved to die!
it WAS NOT the …
it WAS NOT the fault of the TEENS…it was the fault of ONE teen…the others had the misfortune of getting in a car with him, ending in their deaths…
wow that’s messed …
wow that’s messed up.
What are you …
What are you talking about? The driver crossed into the opposing lane, purposely drove around a car that was stopped at a RR crossing waiting for a train to go by at gates that were fully lowered with bells and lights flashing as reported by witnesses and a camera from a near-by business. The driver killed 4 other people in doing it.
I definetly dont …
I definetly dont feel sorry for the teens who attempted to beat the train. My sympathy goes to the crew of #353 who have to live with the thought of this accident for the rest of their lives.
I have no sympathy …
I have no sympathy for these holes! serves them right!
these parents …
these parents failed to raise these kids the right way.
This is tragic as i …
This is tragic as i am a NS conductor and i know what the familys are going through, Also this type of thing effects the train crews too big time as they are the first peeps to see the carnage and believe me it will make you sick to the stomach, This film should be shown to everyone who applies for a drivers permitt……..
it’s not a question …
it’s not a question of what ‘they’. did…it was ONE foolish impatient reckless young man who caused this tragedy…not ‘they’…the others in the car…who were a captive audience & had no choice but to die too…
Who I feel sorry …
Who I feel sorry for is the engineer and conductor who have to relive this every day and every night. My prayers go to them and there famlies, along with the famlies of the kids.
I’m sorry if I …
I’m sorry if I sound like an here, but everyone says I feel sorry for the kids, it wasn’t a tragic accident. How is it an accident when they were driving 70mph in a 40mph, went around a stopped car and lowered gates that were flashing. It’s not an accident when they had every intention on trying to beat the train and it’s not tragic, it was a poor choice on there part. Hard lesson learned, hopefully more teenagers see this and realize the severity of it.
I bet you anything …
I bet you anything that they had loud music on and the kid looking off in the air somewhere not knowing the gates and lights where going!!!!
What can one say? …
What can one say? As so often happens in life, this guy made a split-second second decision that resulted in a spit-second fatal error. That’s how long it took. Boom; it was over. That quick. No hindsight lecturing or philosiphizing here. This is simple, stark reality. All it takes is one mistake and it’s over. What a tragedy.
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