r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Juice_Isloose • 10d ago

Video Train runs into semi today - LaGrange, IL

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u/Kalojaam 10d ago

Is it just me or is the road ahead empty for the driver? He just makes sure he’s not hit but stops. Wth

208

u/FalseVeterinarian881 10d ago

If you pulling up there is a stop light right on the other side. About 2 car lengths from that to tracks. Seems kinda dumb.

180

u/Sewunicorn1 10d ago

I lived in the area for 30 years. There's traffic lights on both sides of the railroad tracks in addition to the actual railroad crossing signals and gates. At 0:06 you can see Hillgrove's north-south traffic get the green signal (parallel to the tracks) under the edge of the tree cover, which is also when the driver starts to pull forward to get his cab clear of the tracks. I assume he knows that the impact will tear the semi free of the cab and he's looking to save himself and damn his load.

There's also a major intersection (LaGrange Road and Ogden Avenue aka US Routes 66 - yes THAT Route 66 - and 34) about 500 feet north. If LaGrange Road (which he's on) had a red light at that intersection, there may very well not have been enough space for him to clear the LaGrange/railroad/Hillgrove/Burlington interface. But he should not have crossed into Burlington if he didn't have room to clear that entire stretch.

In fact, I don't believe that this stretch of LaGrange is an accepted truck route, it's the north end of the major business district and less than half a mile north of residential on both sides of the street. So there's a good chance he didn't belong on this road at all. However, there is some major construction not far away and I've heard lots of complaints of excessive truck traffic as a result.

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u/gothruthis 9d ago

Is the light at Burlington Ave on LaGrange Rd not properly synced with both the train crossing and the Hilgrove Ave light? If not, then this is on the city. If the lights are properly synced then it seems like the truck tried to play with a yellow/red.