December Train Crash Blamed on Speeding Trucker
An Amtrak passenger train crash that killed three people and injured dozens on a foggy day last December was caused by the driver of a speeding truck that smashed through warning gates and hit the train, investigators said Tuesday.
A report by an investigative task force concluded that the driver “was going too fast for the foggy conditions” at the crash site near Stockton, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Bob Whitmire. The truck driver was one of those killed.
The findings contradict a statement by a motorist who was following the big-rig. The motorist said that warning equipment at the railroad crossing was not working, Whitmire said.
The driver, David Haskell, 47, was killed instantly as the cab of the big-rig shattered. The engineer and fireman, who were operating the train within the speed limit, were burned to death when flames engulfed the derailed engine, Whitmire said.
The five-car train, carrying more than 140 people, was southbound from Oakland to Bakersfield when the crash occurred on Dec. 19.
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