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Accidents There have only been three passenger fatal accidents on the South Shore Line. June 19, 1909, January 18, 1993, and June 18, 1998, killing 22 passengers. Here is a brief summary of accidents on the line. April 12, 1909 When the line opened July 1, 1908 there were no signals. Trains ran based on schedule and meet points were scheduled where the first train to arrive was to wait for the train it was scheduled to meet. On April 12, 1909 westbound train No. 30 overran a meet point at Clark, just west of Gary and collided head on with train No. 33 at Cavanaugh injuring 47 persons. June 19, 1909 Eastbound train No. 59 overran a meet point at Wilson and collided head on with westbound train No. 58 at Shadyside, killing 12 and injuring 52. The combined injury and damage claims from these two accidents led to a change in management for the railroad plus the installation of automated signals. There were no more passenger fatal accidents until 1993. ... January 21, 1985 During maintainance on the Westbound overhead wires in Gary trains ran dispatch controlled on the eastbound track of the double track segment west of Gary Metro Center. A dispatcher made the error of sending two trains head on down the same track at the same time. None killed, 85 injured in a head on collision at the end of the ramp leading up to Gary Metro Center, involving Car 17 and other cars. The dispatcher was demoted to engineer, the three man crew of one train were dismissed for violating rules. (Car 17 was replaced in 1993, video is not clear of the other damaged car numbers.) October 30, 1986 A driver of a flatbed truck apparently ignored flashing warning lights and drove around a lowered crossing gate at a crossing in Gary injuring 32 on a train. April 1, 1987 The engineer of a Chicago South Shore and South Bend passenger train was killed and four people suffered minor injuries when the lead car of the train rammed a portion of an empty coal car that rolled down a siding and partially blocked the South Shore line near Burnham. Rust on the rail was given credit for preventing a 'red' signal from being displayed to the oncoming train. January 18, 1993 In the first passenger fatal accident since 1909, Train 7 from Chicago runs a red signal on the western approach to the Gauntlet Bridge, goes into emergency stop, and pauses for 5 to 30 seconds before being hit by Train 12 from South Bend. The lead cars, Car 27 Eastbound and Car 36 Westbound, slice into each other killing 7 passengers in Car 36, including a 10 year old boy. Most of the victims were decapitated. There were initial reports of 70 or 65 injured. (A 1998 TV report claimed 150 injured in a story about a lawsuit, as well as reporting an eighth passenger death from injuries sustained in the crash, but this report is not supported by other media.) A signal prior to the signal run had been reported defective in prior weeks, however the Gauntlet signals were working properly. A second bridge has now been added at the site and the Gauntlet is no longer in operation. The engineer of Train 7 was the dispatcher in the 1985 accident. NO CRIMINAL CHARGES WERE FILED, but both engineers were fired. (Car 36 apparently has been replaced by another car, or repaired, as it has been seen in operation. Based on video of the accident it would seem that Car 36 received the largest amount of damage.) June 18, 1998 The first train of the day, Train 102 from Michigan City to Chicago, collided with a steel roll trailer left parked over the South Shore line while the driver waited for a passing train on the parallel Conrail line at Midwest Steel's main entrance. The NTSB estimated that the engineer had less than 6 seconds to react. Three passengers, including an off-duty South Shore employee, were crushed as the steel roll pushed through the first car, nearly reaching the center. Six others were injured of the 20 on the train that morning. The truck driver was cited for 15 violations, including being 70,000 pounds overweight, having malfuncioning brakes, and a trucker's log that was nearly a month out of date. He also tested positive for marijuana. The Federal Railroad Administration reduced rail speeds from 65mph to 40mph within 1.5mi of the crossings and banned trucks over 55ft long from crossing the rails. An overpass and the closing of Midwest's grade crossings are being discussed. |