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Follow-Up Postings:
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| I saw that that was terrible! |
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| What a nightmare. I am praying for all of them. This is the first I've heard of this; it's just awful. |
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- Posted by circuspeanut 5 (My Page) on Thu, Nov 15, 12 at 23:54
| Was the flatbed driver drinking? |
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| How terrible! You gotta wonder about parades crossing railway tracks. There should have been a policeman there at the very least. Were there no wigwams? |
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- Posted by maddie_athome (My Page) on Fri, Nov 16, 12 at 7:58
| How terrible! According to Union Pacific spokesman Tom Lange, the crossing has lights and gates, and that they were both working... |
Here is a link that might be useful: LA Times.
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| "Were there no wigwams?" * What do you mean by this question? |
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| I assume chase means those caution cones? I can't even read the article. Those we love so much died in such an avoidable way. I hope it was just a malfunction somewhere cause I just can't even stomach any other thought. |
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| Sorry for the typo, should have been wigwags. |
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| A wigwag is a crossing signal! |
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- Posted by fouquieria 10b (My Page) on Fri, Nov 16, 12 at 15:31
| Has anyone on here been to Midland or Odessa? I can't fathom having a Veteran's Day parade across railroad tracks. -Ron- |
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- Posted by circuspeanut 5 (My Page) on Fri, Nov 16, 12 at 15:43
| All I know about Odessa I learned from Friday Night Lights. Do the tracks bifurcate the town into two different sections (in which case it sort of makes sense as a route)? |
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| Midland and Odessa are separate cities, but not far from one another. The accident occurred on the south side of Midland, a more industrial, older area, near the interstate, not near the shopping areas and primary residential areas, although there are residential areas nearby. It's spread out because there is plenty of space to spread out. From what I read late last night, there were other vehicles ahead of this trailer/float and the driver was just going over the tracks with the signal began, and the trailer was behind him, but the vehicles ahead of him had stopped, so he could not proceed and the trailer with the people on it was still on the tracks and was hit directly by the train. I'm still not sure why the driver didn't just go ahead and plow into the other cars or veer to the side and get that trailer behind him off the tracks, but who knows. What a tragedy. |
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| One guy who was killed was from my area. |
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- Posted by lavenderlver none (My Page) on Sat, Nov 17, 12 at 7:37
| So very sad. One of the dead veterans had pushed his wife off the float moments before the train hit. She survived. |
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| Another terrible tragedy... |
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| Update from NTSB investigation, from Associated Press, November 17: "It was the second of 2 floats carrying veterans in Thursday's parade in Midland. The first was exiting the tracks when the warning bells and signals were activated, 20 seconds before the accident, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The second float didn't enter the tracks until several seconds after the warning system went off, the NTSB said. By that time, the guardrail was lowering." |
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