2 Amtrak accidents in one day kill one, injure 7 in Louisiana

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: msnbc/ap

SLIDELL, La. — Authorities say accidents involving Amtrak trains 10½ hours apart on opposite ends of south Louisiana have killed one and injured seven.

A sheriff's office says 36-year-old Cristal S. LaPoint was killed and a 19-year-old man injured by an Amtrak train while they were walking along the tracks about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Vinton.

An Amtrak train with 12 crew and 68 passengers hit a tractor-trailer carrying the shell of an armored personnel carrier about 8 a.m. across the state. Slidell police say that crash injured six people on board and the truck driver and blocked a major highway for hours.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42693383

[Brickbat]

1. I know the hed isn't yours, but I have to say it pisses me off.

Neither of those were accidents; they were the result of people not running the trains doing dumb things.

[DCKit]

2. Agreed. NOT Amtrak's fault.

Just accidents involving Amtrak and people not paying attention or doing their OWN jobs properly.

[Loge23]

3. Not to mention...

We're basically running the railroads on woefully outdated infrastructure and technology.
But we don't need a high-speed system, like most other developed - and developing - countries!

[tanyev]

4. We've taken one Amtrak trip and loved it, but I will say it felt strange to not have a seatbelt on.

Same thing on a Greyhound bus, too. Seems like seatbelts on a bus would be required by now.