1976 Beckemeyer train accident

Train crashes into truck killing 12 people in Beckemeyer, Illinois July 2023 File:Beckemeyer il train accident.png Truck destroyed after collision 38.6064 -89.4313 1976 02 07 6:50 PM local time Beckemeyer, Clinton County, Illinois United States Ohio & Mississippi Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Vehicle collision Driver error 1 1 3 12 4 The 1976 Beckemeyer crossing accident occurred on February 7, 1976, and was a collision between a pickup truck and a train in the town of Beckemeyer, Illinois. The train crash killed 12 people, including 11 children, and injured three others. The disaster was the worst in the history of Clinton County.11 Children Killed as Train Rams Camper https://www.nytimes.com/1976/02/09/archives/11-children-killed-as-train-rams-camper.html 17 February 2022 The New York times 9 February 1976Worst Disaster in History of County https://thebreesejournal.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=51773816&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjU2NDgwMzQxNiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ1MDYxNjA5LCJleHAiOjE2NDUxNDgwMDl9.DhyJ414AVayG2Sj0Bku_4vJqC4d3-FPOwmI5ApcbnPQ 17 February 2022 The Breese Journal 3 12 February 1976 36 Accident On 7 February 1976, a freight train traveling on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from Washington, Indiana to East St. Louis, Illinois departed. The train was 67 cars long and consisted of 36 empty freight cars, 31 loaded freight cars, and three diesel locomotives. The train had three crew members, two in the locomotive and one in the caboose. At 6:45 p.m. the freight train was approaching the small town of Beckemeyer, Illinois.Railroad/highway Accident Report: Collision of a Baltimore and Ohio Freight Train with a Pickup Truck, Beckemeyer, Illinois February 7, 1976 1976 National Transportation Safety Board 8 https://books.google.com/books?id=wdp2OwAACAAJ 17 February 2022 - Copy at the U.S. Department of Transportation.Crash that killed 12 still haunts Beckemeyer https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article159072034.html 17 February 2022 Belleville News-Democrat 3 July 2017 At the same time 60-year-old Henry Lowe was driving his 1967 GMC pickup truck bringing 15 people, mostly children, to a roller skating party in Highland, Illinois. Six individuals were in the cab of the truck and another 10 were in the bed. Lowe was traveling to the west on Beckemeyer Street going between 15 and 18 mph on . The truck turned left onto Scoville Street and continued south towards the railroad tracks without changing speed. At 6:50 p.m. the train struck the truck going 56 mph on. left|thumb|Map of train-truck collision, Beckemeyer, IL. 7 February 1976 As soon as the train hit the truck the engineer of the train, O.J. Coers threw on the emergency braking system in an attempt to stop the train. The front coupler of the train hit the truck near the driver's side door and ripped the body off the truck and threw it to the right of the train. The train continued down the tracks for another 2,500 ft m off us before stopping with the truck's cab and chassis still wrapped around the front of the train. Six of those killed were found north of the impact site after being thrown from the truck, another six were carried with the truck, and only four were found inside the cab. The injured from the train crash were quickly taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Breese, Illinois by bystanders. The crash completely destroyed the truck and killed 11 children and Lowe himself. Three people were left with serious injuries and only one person survived without serious injury. The crash was the worst single disaster in Clinton County's history. Investigation On 8 February 1976, a two-man team from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived at the scene of the disaster and began an investigation. A report was made seven months later, which found that mechanical malfunction was not at fault for the disaster and neither was the train engineer. Rather it concluded that the accident was likely caused by driver error. Lowe was not intoxicated and did not have a history of hearing or eyesight problems, so the most likely conclusion is that he was distracted at the time of the collision. The NTSB recommended that a signal system be added to the crossing. Aftermath Over 1,400 people attended the funeral of Lowe and his grandchildren who were killed in the crash. The funeral was held in Carlyle High School gymnasium. The funeral procession to the three different cemeteries was over 200 cars long.Beckemeyer, IL Camper And Train Collision Feb 1976 http://www.gendisasters.com/illinois/23965/beckemeyer-il-camper-train-collision-feb-1976 gendisasters 17 February 2022 February 17, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220217011750/http://www.gendisasters.com/illinois/23965/beckemeyer-il-camper-train-collision-feb-1976 dead Citizens of the Beckemeyer petitioned the Illinois Commerce Commission to install lights at the crossing after the disaster. References Category:Railway accidents in 1976 Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Illinois Category:1976 in Illinois Category:1976 road incidents Category:Transportation disasters in Illinois Category:February 1976 in the United States Category:Accidents and incidents involving Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Category:Clinton County, Illinois Category:Transportation in Clinton County, Illinois