National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Earl Weener answers questions regarding Friday's Amtrak train wreck at a press briefing in Sparks, Nev. on Sunday, June 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Reno Gazette-Journal, David B. Parker)
An Amtrak spokesman said Sunday at least five passengers from Friday's deadly Amtrak collision with semi-truck remain unaccounted for as local and federal investigators continue to comb the crash 35 miles north of Fallon for more clues to the accident and possibly to find more bodies.
Six people were killed Friday when a semi-tractor truck used for hauling gravel skidded into two double-decker cars of the California Zephyr at a railroad crossing, causing an inferno to gut out the cars. More than 20 of the most seriously injured were transported by helicopter to either hospitals in Reno or Fallon.
"Amtrak is still working to lower that number," said spokesman Cliff Coles,
referring to the unaccounted passengers.
Capt. John Haugen said the Churchill County Sheriff's Office, which also
doubles as the coroner's office, will return to the site Monday to look for
more bodies. He said Churchill County has been working closely with the
Washoe County Medical Examiners office, and the National Safety
Transportation Board said a forensic anthropologist will also assist them
looking through the rubble.
The original manifest listed 204 passengers with a crew of 14. At least one
crew member, conductor Laurette Lee, 68, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., is
the only fatality whose identity has been confirmed.
The Nevada Highway Patrol said the semi-truck driver is a 43-year-old male from
Winnemucca, but the next of kin has not been "officially" notified.
The NTSB had reported the previous day it could not verify the whereabouts
of 28 passengers.
"That number has come down significantly," Coles said.
During the next several days, Coles said it will be a combined effort
between Amtrak and local authorities to determine the fate of those missing.
Meanwhile, NTSB investigators are planning to meet with the owner of a
semi-tractor rig on Tuesday to inspect the company's records and gain more
information about the driver.
"The Human Performance Team along with the Operations Team will be visiting
the company and looking at the driver's health, medical history as well as
training and experience," said NTSB member Earl Weener.
Since September 2010, Weener said the John Davis Trucking Company of Battle
Mountain has been involved with 19 random roadside inspections which
resulted in seven violations. One violation resulted in placing a truck out
of service. Weener emphasized that none of the inspections involved the
truck involved in the Amtrak collision.
The Associated Press reported Sunday that federal records show the Nevada
Department of Public Safety cited the company for two crashes in the last
two years, including one in February 2010 that injured a person in Washoe
County. Authorities found tires on one company tractor-trailer so bald in a
January inspection they deemed the rig an imminent hazard to public safety.
The trucking company's website states the firm has been in business since
the 1970s and calls itself a family owned trucking company.
"We specialize in hauling ore to and from the local area mines. We also haul
sand and gravel products locally to homes and businesses in the Battle
Mountain area. We have a fleet of 50 side-dump trucks and one lowboy,"
reports the website.
Examining the truck-tractor at the crash site has been an arduous task, said
Weener.
"A portion of the truck-tractor is still imbedded in the railcar. Because of
the serious damage, it has been difficult to do much of an assessment of the
tractor," Weener said. "The trailers have been reviewed in a DOT (Nevada
Department of Transportation) yard."
Weener said many trucks have a data recorder, but because of the extend of
the fire that engulfed the two passenger cars, the NTSB doesn't expect the
data recorder will yield any information.
Weener said investigators will collect information from multiple sources to
determine why the truck did the stop, even though the warning signal for an
approaching train was activated. Weener said the activated signal is visible
at least one-half mile for an approaching motorist.
The train's speed at the time was 78 mph in an 80 mph zone. Weener said
skid marks from the truck began 320 feet before the crossing and continued
to the collision site. Weener said investigators have not determined the
truck's speed.
"The data indicates all aspects of the gates, lights and signals were
operating properly," he said.
Weener pointed out the engineer saw the collision from the train's rear-view
mirror and activated emergency braking. The train, which rocked back and
forth from the impact but did not tip over, stopped about a half mile from
the crossing.
"The train engineer saw the truck approaching and knew impact was imminent,"
Weener said.
Weener said the two drivers following the lead truck in a convoy also saw
the signal activate and took action to slow down. They did not see the lead
truck stopping, though.
Furthermore, Weener said investigators are sensitive to cell phone use.
"We have of yet to identify if the driver had a cell phone in use or his
possession," Weener said.
Weener said investigators have also begun interviewing as many witnesses as
possible.
Weener said the two passenger cars have been shifted to another track near
the crossing, but the rest of the cars have been transported to an Amtrak
facility for refurbishing.
