Professional Soldiers ® - 4 dead in TX after parade float hit by train.

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- - 4 dead in TX after parade float hit by train. (http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40015)

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper (Post 475172)

SGM Lubbers was the 3rd Group Ops SGM.

RIP, Sergeant Major.

TR

Sadly his wife is one of the ones in critical condition. She is an amazing lady, and when the dust settles I am sure she will make it through this... but please keep her in your prayers. She has a long way to go.

RIP Willie. One hell of a man, NCO and mentor.

You'll be missed greatly by us in the Desert Eagle community.

Rules of the Road

Being an OTR Truck Driver and logging over 1 million safe miles this is hard to believe. There is an abundance of rules and regulations that cover tractor/trailer and driver operations. DOT states all tractor/trailers will stop 25-50 ft. before crossing R/R tracks and wait there until there is enough room to safely cross the tracks. A semi with sleeper birth and a 53ft trailer (72ft) requires 100ft. This give you enough room so the R/R crossing arms can lower if a train should come after crossing the tracks Second, when crossing the track you are to be in the correct gear as shifting while crossing the RR tracks is strictly forbidden. Exanple, given the speed of a parade, 2-3 gear is perfect. This places the RPM's between 1200-1500. Now a person crossing RR tracks changes from 2nd to 3rd gear. Inadvertently hitting the high/low selector, you just went from2nd gear to 8th gear. It stalls.
All my prayers are going to those involved.
Sincerely,
Dollarbill. "The buck stops here"

Godspeed to all four and best wishes to the wives.

The driver himself was a veteran also and is now in counseling. A horrible accident with many victims.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/20...tatonic-state/

Quote:

A 50-year-old Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan was driving a parade float that investigators say edged across a railroad crossing in Texas despite warning signals of a fast approaching train, an attorney said Tuesday.

Four veterans were killed in the resulting collision in Midland on Thursday. Sixteen people were injured.

'He's just very much in shock.'
- Hal Brockett, Dale Andrew Hayden's attorney

Dale Andrew Hayden was driving one of two flatbed trucks carrying wounded veterans and their loved ones in the procession to honor the war heroes, said Hal Brockett, Hayden's attorney.

"Words can't express the sorrow and remorse for the people who got hurt and killed," Brockett said in an interview Tuesday.

Investigators say the float began crossing the train tracks even though warning bells were sounding and the crossing lights were flashing. A Union Pacific train travelling at more than 60 mph ran into the truck as the occupants scrambled to jump to safety.

Hayden, who has a military career spanning more than three decades, now works as a truck driver for Smith Industries, an oilfield services company. Brockett said the company placed Hayden on medical leave

Hayden is "kind of catatonic" and not ready to be interviewed, Brockett said. "He's just very much in shock."

Doug Fletcher, a Dallas attorney representing Smith Industries, said Hayden is an Army reservist who has been driving for the company for two years and may have driven in the parade before.

Hayden is undergoing "professional counseling," Fletcher said. "He is beyond distraught."

Fletcher said the company is taking steps to protect the driver after he received "some hate emails."

No one responded to a knock on the door at a mobile home listed as Hayden's residence Tuesday.

Federal investigators on Tuesday plan to re-enact the events that led to the collision. Midland police also are investigating the crash but it's not clear what, if any, criminal charges will be filed.

"I really can't speculate as to what any charges might be," said the county's district attorney, Teresa Clingman, because the police "investigation is not complete."

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the railroad crossing warning system was activated 20 seconds before the accident, and the guardrail began to come down seven seconds after that.

But some Midland residents have said there isn't enough time between when the signal begins and the trains arrive. They say guardrails aren't completely down by the time a train comes by.

The Union Pacific freight train heading to Louisiana was estimated to be going at 62 mph at the time of the crash.

The veterans had been invited to Midland, a transportation and commerce hub in the West Texas oilfields, for a three-day weekend of hunting and shopping in appreciation of their service.

A local charity, Show of Support, had organized the trip, parade and other festivities. Show of Support officials have declined to identify the driver.

Killed were Marine Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gary Stouffer, 37; Army Sgt. Maj. Lawrence Boivin, 47; Army Sgt. Joshua Michael, 34; and Army Sgt. Maj. William Lubbers, 43.

Hayden began his military career as an active-duty soldier from 1980 to 1988. He did two stints in the Oklahoma National Guard in the 1990s before signing up again for the Army Reserve in December 2003, according to Army records. He served in Iraq until March 2005 and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 until the following September.

The driver himself was a veteran also and is now in counseling. A horrible accident w

This is truely a horrible accident. I'm sure anyone behind the wheel would feel terrible about such an incident. Being a Veteran himself, must be 10 fold over. I pray it all works out. God bless.

I was @ the DFW departure of SGM Lubbers yesterday. All that I can say is that I was EXTREMELY IMPRESSED by all involved!!
This is how the "North Texas Patriot Guard" (PGR) conduct one of these missions:
http://www.pgrtexas.org/North%20Texa...28-Lubbers.htm

There were over 30+ PGR @ DFW to see SGM Lubbers off. American Airlines conducted a class act!! They got all of the PGR folks through Security and then down onto the “Ramp”. While we were in the Gate Area, the Ramp Crew Chief came up and briefed us on how this was going to work. He added, that the whole Detail that would be loading the SGM were all Veterans (Mostly Combat) and they would take over once he was loaded onto the belt-loader.

The Honor Guard, from 3rd Gp, off-loaded SGM Lubbers from the Baggage Cart (a special cart that is only used for this purpose, it has US Flags for “drapes” on each side) and placed him onto the belt-loader. When it was fully onto the belt, the SF Honor Guard backed off and the “Rampers” took over. They were attired in the normal DFW Ramp uniform, with the exception that they all were wearing white gloves!!! Before the SGM started to move up the belt, they, in a VERY ceremonious Fashion, lifted the Flag, allowed him to progress into the aircraft and then “side-stepped” past the end of the loader. They then, very properly and ceremoniously, folded the Flag!!...........................To witness this on the Ramp of DFW Airport was very moving!! The way these ground guys and gals executed was unreal!!!

I’m VERY PROUD to be a part of this Family, but also that of American Airlines!!!

Later
Martin

AM thank you for the AAR. Very sobering.

AM,

Thank you for the report.. We I was there, great respect and send off for a great man.

Thank you!