Posted on 12/18/2017 8:44:10 AM PST by ImJustAnotherOkie
(KOMO) — PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - All southbound lanes of Interstate 5 are closed south of Joint Base Lewis-McChord after an Amtrak train derailed and fell off an overpass onto the freeway. Some injuries have been reported. View image on Twitter View image on Twitter
Chris Karnes 🌹 @TacomaTransit The train has derailed. Emergency crews are on the scene. Massive damage. People are hurt. 10:01 AM - Dec 18, 2017 24 24 Replies 119 119 Retweets 30 30 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy
Motorists are being warned to avoid the area. "I was just shocked," said Peter Zimmerman of Olympia. "I couldn't believe it. It was like something out of a movie." State transportation officials say the train derailed near Mounts Road. View image on TwitterView image on Twitter
Danae Orlob @naenae007 @komonews 9:55 AM - Dec 18, 2017 12 12 Replies 9 9 Retweets 4 4 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy
View image on Twitter View image on Twitter
WSDOT Tacoma Traffic ✔ @wsdot_tacoma All SB lanes of I-5 blocked near Mounts Road in Pierce County due to derailed train car. Avoid area! 9:45 AM - Dec 18, 2017 33 33 Replies 470 470 Retweets 118 118 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy Amtrak officials said the train was the No. 501, which operates between Seattle and Portland. The train had just begun using a new high-speed route Monday morning. Lakewood city oficials had earlier expressed fears that the new route would cause serious accidents.
Amtrak service south of Seattle is temporarily suspended. Service from Seattle to points north and east is continuing to operate.
Per presser on KOMO via FNC: Fatalities confined to train passengers. I-5 closed for quite some time.
no fatalities among motorists, though injuries and some autos crushed
3-4 train cars out of sight, off the rails and in the woods
The brakes are applied from back to front as far as I know, so there should never be any push-pull effect from emergency braking.
No fatalities from freeway motorists
without intentionally driving down the track.
There was no truck on the tracks, the tracks are on a bridge...misinformation.
Here’s the deal though, this bridge is important in one sense.
The line is going straight south until this bridge crosses i-5, so there is a fairly sharp turn as the rails go from due south, turning sharply S.E.
The speed along with the fairly sharp turn is the most likely reason for a derailment.
They have been testing this new line for the last couple weeks in a big way. The project to create this line has been huge, and the new stretch here has been worked on days and nights for over a year.
That’s I-5 southbound...
This was a new route too, first run. Prayers for everyone.
Cars in the woods indicates emergency breaking and the cars started “stacking” like an accordian.
FNC reporting the train was moving about 18mph, as opposed to 80mph.
Good Lord! No seat belts on the train so there must be many, many injuries.
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Worse! No airbags deployed!
I got that from an expert on CBS. Does emergency breaking start in the rear?
No seat belts and no bins for objects. Just reported it was going a very low speed so that helps a little.
Those passenger cars look kinda short. They may be truly light rail cars that might have trouble staying on the tracks at speed.
Thanks for the mention.
Placing bars slanted toward the oncoming train and taking out spikes, can cause problems.
Just wondered if kids hung out around there, gangbangers.
It’s amazing to me all the people hanging out under overpasses these days.
They seem to be cara de side and. The nation.
No manditory head rests either (I am old enough to remember when that happened in the 60's)
...far and wide...
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