DAVISBURG, Mich. — It’s been nearly three weeks and investigators admit they still don’t know what caused a head-on collision of two Canadian National Railroad freight trains Nov. 15, which killed two workers and injured two others, reports the Detriot News.
“It could be months before we know what happened here,” said James Southworth, the lead investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board.
“There is a lot of work to do and we don’t jump to any conclusions,” he said. “We are a fact-finder and we will take our time until we are satisfied we have all the facts.”
The wreck site, a rural stretch of track between Big Lake and Ware roads in Springfield Township, has become the daily destination of semi-trailer trucks, earth movers and railroad police.
Neighbors report manned vehicles parked by railroad crossings at Ware and Big Lake roads 24 hours a day since the accident.
Officials aren’t saying much, but recently revealed that several tests have been completed, hundreds of photos taken and tons of derailed equipment hauled away for inspection.
Engineer Thomas Landris, 49, of Durand, and conductor Gary Chase, 58, of Okemos, died when their 89-car freight train, headed to Flint, collided with a southbound 94-car train that had pulled onto a side track to let the northbound train pass.
The two surviving workers on the southbound train — engineer Allen Yash, 52, of Fenton and conductor Jesse Enriquez of Detroit — remain hospitalized in fair but improving condition.
Sherry Yash is grateful her husband is still alive.
“Al is a little better and we are trying to get him going in rehab, to get the use of his leg again,” she said. “His attitude is very good and we are all just thankful he made it through this.
“You think, you pray, something like this will never happen but then it does,” Yash said. “But somebody was definitely looking out for him that morning.”
Southworth said NTSB investigators from Washington, Chicago and Atlanta met at the site between Nov. 15 and 21 to conduct tests and meet with other investigators.
“They huddled with Canadian National officials, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers,” he said. “We also have involved the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department and the Springfield and Independence Township fire departments.”
Southworth said the professionals break into groups to investigate specific areas such as mechanical concerns, rail operations, the signals and the track. They also will zero in on factors that could affect human performance, including work histories, fatigue and possible substance abuse.
“We spent six days out here after the crash and will do several follow-ups,” Southworth said. “We looked at the signal system, but have not found anything factual that makes it a problem. Or with the dispatch system.
“There has been no problem with the weather or the railroad tracks,” he said. “Or any finding of equipment or mechanical failure — as of yet.”
Last week, a sight distance test was done, which Southworth described as like a re-creation of the crash in which a locomotive similar to the one in the Nov. 15 crash is brought to the track and actual measurements are taken on scene shortly before 6 a.m., about the time of the crash.
“We will interview the surviving conductor and engineer,” Southworth said.
Investigators also will review reports dealing with the signal system and past track work in the area.
“We will examine various jobs, the training and employment history of all employees involved, just about anything that could be contributing factors to an accident,” Southworth said.
Event recorders — which are comparable to airliners’ black boxes — have been brought to a NTSB lab for studies.
“Hopefully they will reveal data which will be useful in determining what happened and why,” Southworth said. “They contain information about speed and other measurable data from the engine.”
If at some point it appears a crime has been committed — and Southworth repeatedly stressed there is nothing yet to lead investigators to suspect criminal involvement — it must also be determined which law enforcement agency will handle the matter.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation probably would handle that type of matter if a federal crime were suspected, said Terry Williams, an NTSB spokesman.
If criminal activity fell under a state offense, it would be turned over to a state or local agency, probably the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.
In 2000, there were 937 fatalities involving train accidents nationwide and 11,643 injuries.
Twenty-three of last year’s deaths occurred in Michigan.
Editor’s note:
T.O. “Tom” Landris Brother was a member of BLE Division 650 (Durand, Mich.). He joined the BLE in 1974. BLE Division 812 (Detroit) member A.M. Yash has been a BLE member for 30 years and is 52 years old.