20 years since fatal Fox River Grove school bus accident "You can see why I was troubled." Chairman, CEO and Publisher Doug Ray began working for the Daily Herald in 1970. Patricia Catencamp, 54, a substitute driver for the Fox River Grove School System, told the National Transportation Safety Board late Thursday that she stopped the bus before crossing the tracks . Using test trains, investigators found there were just 20 seconds between the time the train tripped sensors that activated safety signals in the intersection until it was speeding through. Girlfriend insists her secret visits and conversations with another man dont count as an affair. But unique geography, traffic volume and density of development makes the proximity of traffic signals to the railroad a case-by-case decision for local officials, with safety as the main factor, he said. The crossing was of inherently dangerous design, in that a long vehicle could be partially trapped on the crossing while held by a red light at the intersection. A man is dead after a late night crash in Mercer County where his car hit a utility pole, two trees and then caught on fire. Did the bus driver have enough time to move the bus and clear the intersection when the traffic light turned green? It took just seconds, and then it was over. The brothers are now Crystal Lake firefighter-paramedics. A year after the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board released its findings on the cause. Young editor Diane Dungey led a team of reporters in search of an answer: How could this crash have happened? And changes were made so the traffic light gave drivers more time to get off the tracks as a train approached. The trains lead car finally came to a stop a quarter mile down the track. 6:15am: Bus scheduled to leave bus garage. 0. Stephanie Fulham, 15. Burriss, now living in nearby Island Lake, stays in touch with other families affected by the crash but says they don't talk about it much. Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. He asked if they wanted to come to the hospital to say goodbye. Its a crisp October morning. FOX RIVER GROVE, Ill. One of the deadliest crashes at a rail crossing in U.S. history happened in Fox River Grove, Ill., 20 years ago. That suggests that Catencamp may have been able to avoid the crash if she had only pulled up as far as possible, although officials said state law requires school bus drivers to stop at the painted white line. The regular driver later said that when the bus was running on schedule, she did not usually have to contend with trains at that intersection. it took the train only 18 seconds to cover the distance from In an 82-page report, it highlighted a lack of safety training for bus drivers stopped at railroad crossings, a traffic light that didnt give drivers enough time to cross the tracks and a poorly designed intersection. These kids are dead and hurt, and they had no control of their lives, he says. At that time, I had been the state director, for North Carolina for just a few months and didn't truly realize the impact that this . In the years following the crash, the bus route the collision occurred on had lower ridership, Shannon Podzimek, director of communications for Community High School District 155, told Patch. Just 1,000 feet to the north of Wednesday's crash site, the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Northwest Highway is identical in configuration to the Algonquin crossroads. Susana Guzman, 15, This is the story of the Fox River Grove Incident. On Sunday, some will gather at the spot where the crumpled bus sheared from its undercarriage came to rest after the impact. They covered the whole reception, and they never said a word, Bailey says. She said it has taken years to recover from the trauma. Suddenly, "the kids in the back, they all started running up to the front," said Katie, now 34, with a married last name, Burriss. "I know some of the parents were pretty angry at either the train or the bus, one of the two," recalled Dennis Clark, whose son, Jeffrey, 16, was killed in the tragedy. Outside Cary-Grove High, a bench surrounded by seven evergreen trees is called Friendship Circle, also in memory of those who died: Jeffrey Clark, Stephanie Fulham, Susana Guzman, Michael Hoffman, Joseph Kalte, Shawn Robinson and Tiffany Schneider. She feels bad for the bus driver, whom she never faulted: "I know she's suffered. Legislation and re-engineering of interconnected crossings across the state of Illinois combined with greater awareness elsewhere resulted in efforts to help to prevent similar crashes from recurring. Notify, in cooperation with AASHTO, other agencies about the importance of exchanging information about railroad/highway crossings. Upgrade existing recording devices to fulfill the previous condition. Dotson wont be there. The crash killed seven teenagers and injured the bus driver and 24 passengers. CNN - Questions follow bus-train tragedy - Oct. 26, 1995 "They have been this way for years and years," Carlson said. Shawn Robinson, 14. He yelled, Breathe! She suffered from night terrors. The changes included creating a standardized system nationwide connecting traffic signals to railroad warning devices, Vercruysse says. "She stated that she never saw or heard The Sun-Times Patrick Finley answers the biggest questions facing the Bears after the draft: On this International Workers Day, were committed to fighting for a better future for all workers in our city and state, two labor leaders write. Twenty-five years ago Sunday, Ford Dotson Jr.s train smashed into a school bus in Fox River Grove. The accident occurred at 10:55 a.m., as the driver, Evan Prothero, 49, of Olivehurst, took the Marina Vista Avenue off-ramp (exit 56) from I-680 southbound from the Benicia-Martinez Bridge. [4]:1 At the time of the accident, the Metra train was traveling at approximately 60 miles per hour (97km/h). It didnt really make it any easier the next time just not so awful he couldnt climb back in the cab. Reflection on Fox River Grove: What it Means Today It was the most violent, abrupt thing you can imagine, the time, told the Northwest Herald that Oct. 25, 1995, was the worst day of his life, The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the collision. The Fox River Grove crash stands as the worst crash involving a Metra train in its history, and one of the worst grade crossing crashes in U.S. history. Of course, my thought was: God, did she know? Its like when you crest on a roller coaster, and youre going down, and your breath is taken away.. 1995 Crash in Fox River Grove, IL - YouTube Dotson thought about quitting the railroad. Zachary said that immediately after the crash the driver shouted for everyone to get off the bus, and made a radio call. Carlson said tight conditions at intersections along railroad tracks are common throughout the Chicago area. Every fall, school officials tell new students about the significance of Friendship Circle and "how that area is sacred, and to respect that," said Jim Kelly, campus dean. This distance was more than enough to hold a 40 feet (12m) bus. The initial cause of the crash was the failure of the bus driver to properly judge the distance between the railroad tracks when the vehicle stopped at a traffic signal across the tracks. 624 when it crashed into a school bus on Oct. 25, 1995 in Fox River Grove, poses for a portrait outside his Hazel Crest home, Monday morning, Oct. 19, 2020. the sensor to the intersection. a cervical fracture in the crash. Burriss remembers no sounds of the crash, only "dead silence.". All but four of the 35 students on the bus had injuries. New Tradition Chorus "Blast From the Past" with songs of '70s and '80s. Stephanie Fulham, 14 (left) and her sister Christina, then 12, the year Stephanie died. "Until I was at the hospital watching the news, I didn't know what had happened.". Brian Marino, then a freshman at Cary-Grove High School, boarded the bus that day with his identical twin brother, Michael, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. HOLY CRAP! The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found that, while the bus driver was not aware that a portion of the bus was on the tracks as she should have been, the timing of signals was so insufficient that, even if she had identified the hazard as the train approached, she would have had to proceed against a red traffic signal into the highway intersection to have moved out of the train's path. Its speed has increased to 69mph (111km/h), just short of the speed limit on that section of track. Our study determined the timing was off. For the families and friends of the teenagers who died Steve Bertrand on Chicago's Afternoon News is joined by survivor Jenny Swiecionis as she shares the tragic events that occurred in 1995 when a train collided with her school bus in Fox River Grove. Gary Washburn and Ray Gibson and Andrew Martin, Aerosmith announces farewell tour starting in September, Its Met Gala time again heres what we know so far, Rising Mississippi River continuing to test flood defenses in northwest Illinois, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. proceeded across the tracks to the stop line at the traffic Fox River Grove train-school bus crash 25 years later: 'Just something Breathe!". The Fox River Grove Incident 23 years later - YouTube So Dotson jumps it up to the maximum speed 70 mph. Students on the bus said after the accident that their usual driver always stopped before he reached the tracks and waited for the light ahead of him to turn green before he crossed them. Metra Train No. They used stop watches, borrowed from high school track teams, to time the signals and the seconds needed for the drivers to make it through after the traffic light changed. No one needs those kinds of memories, she says. The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the collision and ruled one of the factors contributing to the crash was an inadequate school district routing and hazard marking system. The sensor also activates a system designed to clear traffic from the track area. Fox River Grove Metra-school bus crash still haunts engineer, other Its moving slowly across the tracks, but theres no reason to panic. I am proud of the Daily Herald's role. 20 to 25 seconds after the train activated a sensor, however, 7:00am: Metra express commuter train 624 leaves the, 32seconds before impact: The crossing processor detects the presence of the Metra train. Bus driver says she did not see or hear oncoming train - Tampa Bay Times (7News) Four children and one adult were rushed to the hospital Monday morning after a crash involving a school bus, the Montgomery County Police Department said . "I am troubled by the timing," said John Goglia, head of the federal team dispatched to Fox River Grove. At the time of the crash, Dotson had been a train engineer for 19 years. IDOT officials said they must be located 12 feet from the track, and motorists are required to stop at a flashing signal or gate no closer than 15 feet from the nearest rail. The train is 500ft (152m) from the crossing, and its speed has decreased to 60mph (97km/h). His skull had been fractured from ear to ear. Traditional high school cliques disappeared overnight, as former rivalries were forgotten in the midst of grief and loss, Burriss said. tracks when the accident occurred. Seven teens were killed in Fox River Grove when a train hit a school bus on Oct. 25, 1995. NTSB concluded the traffic signal did turn green 6 seconds before impact, but Catencamp was distracted trying to attend to what she presumed was some crisis within the bus. State records show that the firm received a multiple-year contract for $16.1 million from the agency in January to perform a wide variety of electrical contractor services for the state, including the inspection of traffic signal devices along railroads. The spot where it happened wasn't far from my house. Sued by the students' families, the governmental agencies and other parties agreed to pay a collective $27 million, divided among those who had been injured or lost loved ones. The 200-ton locomotive at the rear of the train pushes six passenger cars and the cab control car. I hope thats not the case.. He shook his head in dismay. Witnesses to the crash said the bus was waiting to make a Lawsuits were filed the month after the crash, and the last of these was resolved in January 2004. Identical twin brothers Michael Lucas (left) and Brian Marino survived the 1995 Fox River Grove bus/train collision that took the lives of seven fellow students. Five students died in the crash Wednesday and two more were The Illinois Secretary of State's office said the driver, The driver was a substitute driver that was normally the assistant transportation director for the districts. 624 crashed into a school bus at Algonquin Road and Northwest Highway in Fox River Grove on Oct. 25, 1995. On Sunday, Lucas plans to be among those at the crash site, where stones encircle a plaque and seven tiny clay angels. Train slams into Illinois school bus; You can read the full story in the . In addition, vehicle sensors were only present on the north side of the railroad tracks. 00:00 00:00 Follow Your Favorite Chicago's Afternoon News Personalities on Twitter: A commuter train had smashed into a school bus in Fox River Grove. Shes an amazing woman.. But I have covered and edited dozens of tragic stories over time -- from the crash at O'Hare of American Airlines Flight 191 with no survivors and the murders of the Corbett family in Barrington Hills by home invaders, to the Palatine Brown's Chicken restaurant execution-style slaying of the owners and staff in a robbery. As Dotsons 7 a.m. train from Crystal Lake, with 120 passengers and three crew members, headed down the tracks toward the Algonquin crossing that day 25 years ago, Brian Marino, a Cary-Grove High School freshman, was delighted. But Catencamp, unfamiliar with the route, drove onto the tracks and was then pinned in by the red light. His mother, so many years later, will often ask, Mikey, do you remember when you were little, and you used to do this ?. She had to flee the room whenever "Runaway" was played. (793K QuickTime animation), Goglia said the NTSB has interviewed the driver of the bus. Grieving Town Buries Bus Crash Victim SARAH NORDGREN October 27, 1995 FOX RIVER GROVE, Ill. (AP) _ Dazed teen-agers wearing team jackets hugged and wept under a gray sky Friday as they buried the first of seven students killed when a commuter train smashed into their school bus. A commuter train had smashed into a school bus in Fox River Grove. A. Seven high school students died and about two dozen more were injured, including Burriss, who suffered a severe concussion and torn cartilage in both knees. Ohio Pupil Transportation Safety Commission (Spring 2007). I hear stories about the person I was and the person I could have been, he says. To limit the impact of the road expansion to businesses on the northern side of the highway, IDOT reduced the distance between the road and the railroad from 60feet to around 30 feet (9.1m). Fatal Fox River Grove bus-train tragedy still painful, 20 years later [5] Another 24 bus passengers were injured, some critically, and 4 passengers were not injured. You feel helpless. Since the crash, District 155 implemented additional training for bus drivers and substitute drivers on railroad crossings and mirror use. It was the most violent, abrupt thing you can imagine, Marino told the Chicago Sun-Times as he recalled the Oct. 25, 1995, collision. In the state of Illinois alone, 188 other interconnected crossings were inspected for hazardous conditions. Train subcontractors to ensure they have proper knowledge of all working interconnected systems. "Kids are screaming. Her oldest daughter Stephanie who loved to sing and dance and whose feelings were easily hurt had been on the bus. "During training with our drivers and substitute drivers, they are told not to cross those railroad crossings," Podzimek said. through and the signals had operated properly," Adorjan said. The Daily Herald's reporting on traffic signals near railroad intersections led to changes in safety regulations, which have likely saved lives in the years following the Fox River Grove bus collision. The most seriously injured suffered skull fractures, lacerations and internal injuries. focus on a traffic signal where a train hit a bus killing "There's some valid reasons to do it that way, but it's not required. Jeffrey Clark died after he was thrown from the bus, leading his father to wonder if seat belts might have saved some students' lives. Things are especially hard for her this time of year. Such locations are known as "interconnected crossings" within the industries. It never entered my mind that there wasnt enough room for that bus to fit, Catencamp, who couldnt be reached for this story, would later tell investigators. An outbound Metra train travels past a memorial at Algonquin Road and Northwest Highway in Fox River Grove, Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 21, 2020. But the Fox River Grove story didn't end there. 624 when it crashed with a school bus on Oct. 25, 1995, in Fox River Grove. "She needed to see that train 1,500 feet, 2,000 feet before that intersection, and she could not see it at all," he said. On Oct. 25, 1995, inbound Metra train No. What is more clear is the sorrow in much of Fox River Grove and its small . State records show there have been six accidents there since 1978, four of them fatal. A few minutes later I was at the scene at 8:30 a.m. A helicopter was hovering as it prepared to transport injured students to a hospital trauma center. No communication took place between both parties with regards to interconnected signal timing. The song "Runaway" by Janet Jackson blared from the radio as the bus crossed railroad tracks and stopped at a red light on Algonquin Road. Her father died in 2008. 25 Years Later, Memory Of Teens Killed In Bus Crash Lives On By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our, Aerosmith announces farewell tour starting in September, Its Met Gala time again heres what we know so far, Rising Mississippi River continuing to test flood defenses in northwest Illinois, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. At about 7:10 a.m. on Oct. 25, 1995, a substitute school bus driver who was unfamiliar with the route was driving the bus when it over the train tracks on Algonquin Road and stopped at a red light at Northwest Highway. "Everything that could go wrong went wrong," said Robert Bingle, a Chicago attorney who represented many of the students' families in lawsuits. But was there something wrong with the crossing signals and the adjacent traffic light? ", "If there hadn't been a bus driver who hadn't been 20 minutes late, there wouldn't have been an express train that came through," he said. All times are given in Central Daylight Time. An outbound Metra train travels past a memorial at Algonquin Road and Northwest Highway in Fox River Grove. Katie Krebeck was 14, and she and her friends agreed to sit behind the substitute driver to help her navigate the unfamiliar route toward Cary-Grove High School. The NTSB identified four forbidden railroad crossings within the district that have poor sight lines, Podzimek said. He and his wife now live in Colorado. The rear of the bus hung over the railway grade crossing. Seven students died and 24 were hurt when an express commuter train hit a school bus. And because officials wanted to preserve buildings in downtown Fox River Grove on the north side of the road, the expansion went southward toward the tracks. Roadway signal timing was under the jurisdiction of IDOT, while railway timing was under the jurisdiction of Union Pacific. 7:27am: Local hospital activates disaster plan, and sends two doctors to the scene. I dont even know why because I dont remember the crash. What an awful day. Lucas is married with two children. Develop programs for the identification of hazards on bus routes.
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