Truck firm in Amtrak crash had citations
Amtrak passenger cars sit still smoldering after the train was struck by a semi truck on US 95 north of Fallon, Nev. (June 24, 2011) Credit: AP/Liz Margerum/RGJ
A Nevada trucking company under scrutiny for a fiery crash with an Amtrak train that left at least six dead has been cited repeatedly by state authorities for crashes, unsafe driving and operating a truck with tires so bald the vehicle had to be taken off the road.
A driver working for John Davis Trucking of Battle Mountain smashed through crossing gates and into two double-decker cars of an Amtrak train Friday, killing the driver and five people on the train.
A review of federal records by The Associated Press Sunday show the Nevada Department of Public Safety cited the company for two crashes in the last two years, including one in February 2010 that injured a person in Washoe County. In a January inspection, authorities found tires on one company tractor-trailer so bald they deemed the rig an imminent hazard to public safety.
Meanwhile, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Chuck Allen said Sunday that officials for the Churchill County Coroner Office continued to sift through the rubble of two rail cars gutted by the fire. He said they have asked at least one forensic anthropologist to assist them late Sunday or today.
"I think it was so hot that they want to make sure they are not missing anything," Allen told the AP. "They want to figure out if there are any more bodies and if so, how many. They want to rule out the possibility that yes there are more or . . . there are not."
Investigators also Sunday continued to look over the scene for any clues as to why the truck driver plowed through the railroad crossing on Friday. It's expected to take up to a year to pinpoint the cause of the crash.
National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said yesterday the flashing lights at the crossing gate, which are set to blink for 25 seconds before a train approaches, would have been visible from a half-mile away if a motorist was driving at the highway's 70-mph speed limit. The investigation has not yet revealed how fast the driver, who was approaching the crossing from the south, was goingTwo truck drivers and a train engineer watched helplessly as a semitrailer skidded the length of a football field before it smashed through crossing gates and into the train before noon on Friday.
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Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
