Highway?Railroad Grade Crossing Collision, US Highway 95, Miriam, Nevada, June 24, 2011: Highway Accident Report NTSB/HAR-12/03

On Friday, June 24, 2011, about 11:19 a.m. Pacific daylight time, a 2008 Peterbilt truck-tractor occupied by a 43-year-old driver was traveling north on US Highway 95 near Miriam, Nevada. The truck-tractor was pulling two empty 2007 side-dump trailers. As it approached an active highway–railroad grade crossing consisting of two cantilever signal masts with flashing lights and two crossing gate arms in the descended position, it failed to stop and struck the left side of Amtrak train no. 5, which was passing through the grade crossing from the northeast. The collision destroyed the truck-tractor and two passenger railcars. The train came to a stop without derailing; however, a fire ensued, engulfing two railcars and damaging a third railcar. Major safety issues identified in this investigation were commercial driver fatigue and distraction, commercial driver license and employment history, commercial vehicle brake maintenance, passenger railcar crashworthiness and fire protection, and grade crossing action plans. The National Transportation Safety Board makes recommendations to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Nevada Highway Patrol, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, the American Trucking Associations, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the Towing and Recovery Association of America Inc., the American Bus Association, the United Motorcoach Association, and John Davis Trucking Company, Inc.