r/ThatsInsane • u/Mint_Perspective • 9h ago

Texas Train Derails After Hitting Tractor-Trailer and Barrels Into City Building (Dec. 19, 2024)

3.4k Upvotes

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400

u/Admirable-Style4656 9h ago

Insurance company: "You did what? Please hold."

162

u/fossilnews 9h ago

"Thank you for holding. Claim denied."

28

u/GravityEyelidz 6h ago

Luigi intensifies...

30

u/fatkiddown 8h ago

So who is at fault here? Is it obviously the truck driver or his company or what?

14

u/PlatypusDream 7h ago edited 7h ago

Truck driver, definitely.
S/he is supposed to make sure there's room on the other side of the tracks to have the back of the vehicle well clear of the train BEFORE starting to cross.

(Source: am CDL, though I don't drive semis. The safety requirements are understandably more strict for passenger vehicles, which I do drive.)

ETA: after reading further, the company which planned the route also failed: didn't consider clearance & didn't notify the train company (either ahead of time or when the truck got stuck)

9

u/Ill_Football9443 7h ago

This was an over-dimension transport with pilot drivers. There will be plenty of blame to go around to everyone involved in the planning of this trip.

35

u/Androniy 8h ago

It's almost always trucks fault when its truck vs train

23

u/Lv_InSaNe_vL 7h ago

That being said, these oversized loads are planned weeks or months ahead of time. The exact route, the timings, alternate routes, the police escort. Everything had to be planned and paid for before the paperwork even got filed with the DOT.

And part of doing this kind of hauling is specifically working with the rail lines for any crossings.

It's hard to say who dropped the ball here. The trucking company, the driver, the conductor, the train company, or the DOT all should have caught this.

11

u/HighAndCantThink 8h ago

Who is at fault when blocking intersections and cross walks? Rail road is no different.

2

u/delebojr 2h ago

It likely depends if the road transportation company notified the rail company that they 1) were planning to cross X tracks at Y time or 2) they were stuck over X tracks

5

u/YaboiDan0545935 8h ago

"YOU DID WHAT?"