Train Strikes Car at Private Crossing, Killing Driver

Train Strikes Car at Private Crossing, Killing Driver

By WYDaily Staff Sunday, August 01, 2010

JCC-train-accident

The driver of this car was killed after an Amtrak train struck it at the Hill Pleasant Farm entrance. (Photo courtesy of James City-Bruton Volunteer Fire Department)

A 78-year-old James City County woman died Saturday morning after her car was hit by an Amtrak train.

Doris Antczak was alone in her Ford Escort just before noon when the passenger train struck as she was driving across a private crossing to enter Hill Pleasant Farm (also known as Hunt's Farm) in the 6900 block of Richmond Road in Norge.

The entrance to the farm is beyond a private railroad crossing, which is marked with a sign alerting motorists and pedestrians to beware of trains. There is not a gate to prevent crossing when a train approaches.

James City-Bruton Volunteer Fire Department spokesman Bill Apperson said the train was traveling at 79 mph when it struck, and dragged Antczak's car between a third- and half-mile before coming to a stop. She was killed instantly, but there were no injuries to the train crew or responders, he said.

One passenger was taken by medics to a local hospital for treatment of a non-life-threatening medical condition, Apperson said.

Emergency crews were on the scene for about four and a half hours, and the James City County Police Department is investigating the accident.

Passengers on the eastbound Amtrak train were taken by bus to the next station, he said.

Comments

-4 #20 Guest 2010-08-04 09:50

Jennifer, I do not know the answer but I do know that I am in the middle of a struggle based on safety but guess since there are no laws I have to let go and let God. Thanks for your reply and my condolences to the family.

Quote

+4 #19 Guest 2010-08-04 08:52

Mary, if your husband has already had several accidents due to his inability to safely operate a car and now has doctors recommending he take a driver's test to determine his ability to safely operate a vehicle i would suggest that you listen to your stepchildren and doctor and do what's right for not only your husband's safety but also for the community at large he is endangering...b ecause the way i see it he has been lucky so far and if he manages to seriously injure or kill someone you are setting yourself up for a lawsuit for gross negligence...i know if he injured me or my family in light of what you just said i would sue you for everything you had...in fact your insurance could even decide not to pay to cover costs if they determine that you were at fault...which all it would take for them to determine that would be to read this post and see that you ignored doctor recommendations ...you need to check your pride at the door and do what's right here for your family and others he is placing in harm's way...

Quote

+4 #18 Guest 2010-08-03 15:51

Quoting Mary:

My step children have jumped all over me because the doctor has requested that my husband take a drivers test to see if he is safe on the road. He is 82 and has already been involved in several small accidents. They are focusing on the fact that he has a current license rather than the safety of his driving. I am heart broken for this family and for myself due to the lack of support from my step children

Mary - are you heartbroken that the children fear their father is no longer able to safely drive given his age & recent safety record and are insisting on his taking a test that you disagree about, or that they are not supportive of your encouraging him to take the drivers test that his doctor recommends he take? And at what point is it negligence on the part of your husband to continue driving after a doctor has advised a drivers test to assess his continued ability to do so? I hope your husband's next accident is not a fatal one, for your husband or the others involved -- and that it isn't MY loved ones he hits, minor or not! At this point I have not heard the cause of this honorific train accident -- perhaps driving ability had nothing to do with it! But when ability to drive is an issue, shouldn't there be a mandate to test for continued proficiency?

Quote

+5 #17 Guest 2010-08-03 14:38

Thats a ford focus actually

Quote

-3 #16 Guest 2010-08-03 08:38

My step children have jumped all over me because the doctor has requested that my husband take a drivers test to see if he is safe on the road. He is 82 and has already been involved in several small accidents. They are focusing on the fact that he has a current license rather than the safety of his driving. I am heart broken for this family and for myself due to the lack of support from my step children

Quote

+10 #15 Guest 2010-08-02 15:18

Jennifer -- it is clear that you are hurt, and my sympathies go out to you & this woman's loved ones. However, I have read these comments and see none that are derogatory in nature toward Doris Antczak. You do raise a point however ... if it were my elderly (82) grandmother, I would not only feel a deep & horrific loss, but some guilt as well. I know her driving skills cannot be what they once were because it is obvious her mobility and response time are impaired in other areas of her life. Should I attempt to limit her independence by insisting she not drive herself as she is licensed to do? Perhaps so. But how? She's not mentally impaired at all, just physically not able to react as quickly as I fear she would need to in an emergency situation. The young feel invincible & aren't. The elderly are less so. Since there is an age at we qualify to test for obtaining a license based on decision-making skills and ability, should there be a required test, which also begins at a designated age, to determine when those skills and "ability to respond" is no longer sufficient to maintain a license to drive?

Quote

-7 #14 Guest 2010-08-02 11:29

My sympathies to the family of the lady who was hit and to the crew on the train as well. This must be so hard on everyone involved.

I have operated a business next to a railroad track and even raised my four children on property next to a railroad track and have personal experience with observing the average level of caution used by drivers crossing railroad tracks with this type crossing. I also have experience with a couple car-train collisions practically right outside my back door. I would like to comment that even "back in the day" (referring to the 70's)when crossings like these were more plentiful, I could never conceive that they were safe crossings for every driver. The crossing is marked, sure, and the train is loud and can be seen if you look in its direction. But there are all sorts and ages of people who have no experience at all with this sort of crossing, and they are especially vulnerable. I think we should protect them from losing their life simply because they are inexperienced.

Quote

+7 #13 Guest 2010-08-02 10:18

[quote name="Rick"]FOR D ESCORT! Don't know the year of this car but Ford Escorts have a history of stalling -

On what do you base this broad sweeping statement?

Quote

+13 #12 Guest 2010-08-02 10:17

My thoughts and prayers go out to this family. I am not sure why the press must put photos of her personized license plate or her car ... This is devastating for the family. I do not want to put the blame any where.... not CSX, the farm or the lady that passed. However all crossings should be posted... lastly I care for my 86 and 85 year old mother and father and it took my mother totaling her car (she was lucky no one one hurt) for both of their driving to cease a few years ago.... as their daughter knowing that their reflexes are not what they use to be, vision and hearing not the best, I should have stepped in several years before I did.... But didn't because I didn't want to hurt their feelings or let them feel less independant.... .I am not saying that this is what happened here I am just sharing my experience so that if someone else is having this struggle it might help........
May God be with this family and their friends

Quote

+10 #11 Guest 2010-08-02 09:42

First, my condolences to the family of the departed, and heartfelt wishes for the mental well-being of the crew & passengers of the train involved in this tragedy. I agree with the post asking for more specifics of this incident. Was the car sitting stalled on the tracks, racing through the intersection trying to beat the train, creeping over the track (as so many drivers do to minimize bumps on their ride)...? Everyone who has mentioned that it’s hard NOT to be aware of an oncoming train has a point. And horns blast all day (and into the night) as trains come through this area of Norge. With or without lights or crossing gates, there are signs at this intersection and very likely was a loud horn meant to alert vehicles of oncoming train traffic. Equipment failures can happen and for that reason I don’t cross tracks --even those utilizing gates-- without checking for a train. Even school buses stop at tracks and open the doors to double check. May this awful incident remind us all of that basic lesson: Look both ways before crossing.

Quote

Refresh comments list

Add comment

WYDaily invites you to join the community conversation. We expect civil discourse here. Personal attacks on others, indecent language and bad manners in general are unwelcome.

JComments