Our study determined the timing was off. Owens doesnt open the chest much any more. The changes included creating a standardized system nationwide connecting traffic signals to railroad warning devices, Vercruysse says. He shook his head in dismay. "Until I was at the hospital watching the news, I didn't know what had happened.". Pedestrian volumes at this crosswalk were extremely light, according to a survey conducted by the Village of Fox River Grove in May 1996. Seven high school students were killed and two dozen were injured last week when a commuter train crashed into a school bus at a railroad crossing in Fox River Grove, Ill. One student. accident occurred. to be proper," he said. Jeffrey Clark died after he was thrown from the bus, leading his father to wonder if seat belts might have saved some students' lives. Richard Kunz, editor of the New Electric Railway Journal, said the reason for this anomaly probably is rooted in the history of the C&NW. You can read the full story in the . I am 39 years old, and I have 25 years worth of memories, Lucas says. Following the tragedy, the community came together and everyone helped support each other as they dealt with their grief. Her brother died in 2008, followed by her mother in 2010. Coverage of the 1995 school bus - commuter train crash in Fox River Grove, IL. All of the injuries were sustained during this initial impact. In addition, the thumbwheel setting on the crossing processor was reduced to 25seconds from 30seconds two weeks before the crash. The bus-train collision in Fox River Grove, two decades ago Sunday, remains among the deadliest rail crossing crashes in U.S. history. On October 25, 1995 at 7:10 am, Metra train number 624 collided with the back of a school bus carrying students to Cary-Grove High School. This process used up 12 seconds of warning time as the train approached. Develop programs for the identification of hazards on bus routes. On the 25th anniversary of the Fox River Grove School Bus-Metra tragedy, our sincerest condolences remain with the families of all the victims. A. Burriss remembers no sounds of the crash, only "dead silence.". As the train hurtles forward, he slams the brake handle all the way. I hope thats not the case.. their seats, moving toward the front of the bus when the In addition, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, National Association of County Engineers, American Public Works Association, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Association of American Railroads, American Short Line Railroad Association and American Public Transit Association were all advised to notify their members of the circumstances of the crash, and distribute information on the importance of exchanging information about railroad/highway grade crossings. To the Federal Highway Administration: Develop a way to visually show on pavement where a train and/or its cargo may be to assist drivers in determining their safe distance from the crossing. Then, hell head to Windridge Memorial Park in Cary, where five of the teenagers who died 25 years ago are buried. ", "It was the first accident I had been in," Burriss said. and the intersection. Before she died, her father called Stephanies younger sisters Christina and Michelle, who were staying with friends. At that time, I had been the state director, for North Carolina for just a few months and didn't truly realize the impact that this . "The timing doesn't appear -. Roadway signal timing was under the jurisdiction of IDOT, while railway timing was under the jurisdiction of Union Pacific. Bus driver Patricia Catencamp a substitute whod never driven the route before was running 20 minutes behind schedule. The NTSB investigators also interviewed the three train crew members, but only the engineer was in a position to see anything. Moms crying out, dropping to their knees and begging God not to let it be their kid, is how Bob Kreher, the departments fire chief then and now, remembers it. A year after the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board released its findings on the cause. "There was a great deal of interest in the distance between No state or federal standards establish safe distances between railroad beds and highway traffic signals, officials said. The line between students and teacher became blurred because everyone was helping each other, he told the Northwest Herald in 2010. The Union Pacific Railroad and Metra paid $7 million. As Dotsons 7 a.m. train from Crystal Lake, with 120 passengers and three crew members, headed down the tracks toward the Algonquin crossing that day 25 years ago, Brian Marino, a Cary-Grove High School freshman, was delighted. IDOT officials said they must be located 12 feet from the track, and motorists are required to stop at a flashing signal or gate no closer than 15 feet from the nearest rail. There are standards for the placement of crossing gates, however. proceeded across the tracks to the stop line at the traffic He stayed away from work for only a week before coming back. Students on the bus said after the accident that their usual driver always stopped before he reached the tracks and waited for the light ahead of him to turn green before he crossed them. They covered the whole reception, and they never said a word, Bailey says. The 1995 Fox River Grove bus-train collision refers to a grade crossing accident that killed seven students riding aboard a school bus in Fox River Grove, Illinois on the morning of October 25, 1995. Over the next week, there were seven funerals. You're in traffic. He asked if they wanted to come to the hospital to say goodbye. Tragically, seven students were killed and many more injured. It was a little after 7 a.m. when the bus driver pulled across the tracks and stopped at a traffic signal. His mother, so many years later, will often ask, Mikey, do you remember when you were little, and you used to do this ?. It never entered my mind that there wasnt enough room for that bus to fit, Catencamp, who couldnt be reached for this story, would later tell investigators. In the runup to the 2024 election, the Sun-Times, WBEZ and the Center for Effective Government at the University of Chicago will be collaborating on a project to educate our audience about the threat to our democracy and how we can form a more perfect union., 25 years later, Fox River Grove Metra-school bus crash still haunts engineer, other survivors. pronounced dead Thursday after being taken off life support The railroad had cited safety concerns over a 1989 project that widened Route 14, narrowing the space that separated it from the tracks. Debbie Owens was there. One expert offers tips to brew the perfect cup at home. The train is 500ft (152m) from the crossing, and its speed has decreased to 60mph (97km/h). Doctors told him his memories would likely trickle back over the first few months of recovery. Nearby is a small memorial to the seven high school students killed in the crash. As with most transportation crashes, there were other conditions present that created an environment in which this type of collision could occur. The Sun-Times Patrick Finley answers the biggest questions facing the Bears after the draft: On this International Workers Day, were committed to fighting for a better future for all workers in our city and state, two labor leaders write. Did she have a feeling? The crunch of metal. John Goglia of the National Transportation Safety Board A memorial dedicated to those killed was built near the railroad crossing. According to tests conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board, the warning lights on the railroad crossing activated 20 seconds before the arrival of the Metra train. Steve Bertrand on Chicago's Afternoon News is joined by survivor Jenny Swiecionis as she shares the tragic events that occurred in 1995 when a train collided with her school bus in Fox River Grove. Her statement is that the light He said the approaching train was supposed to trigger a Witnesses to the crash said the bus was waiting to make a Goglia's concerns about the safety system's timing and the layout of the intersection echoed worries voiced for some time by local residents and recently by Fox River Grove Police Chief Robert Polston. These recommendations are summarized as follows: To the U.S. Secretary of Transportation: Develop a safety inspection program for railroad crossings that involve other public entities (schools and other state departments). Firefighters and paramedics responding have recalled over the years the horrific scenes they were met with. Goglia said the potential for this kind of crash has existed for a long time. The board found that various agencies had failed to communicate with each other about prior complaints that involved the timing of the traffic lights and train warnings at the crossing. The crumpled bus was at rest up the tracks. Meanwhile, my brother-in-law, Dr. Joe Giangrasso, was treating the victims in Good . My job that day was to chronicle all this, to write a color story describing what it was like at the scene. Its like when you crest on a roller coaster, and youre going down, and your breath is taken away.. [4]:79, Metra train 624 consisted of six passenger cars, one cab car, and a locomotive, owned by Metra and operated by Union Pacific. But was there something wrong with the crossing signals and the adjacent traffic light? Susana Guzman, 15, On Oct. 25, 1995, inbound Metra train No. Of these, 24 had similar problems, and were repaired. He and his wife now live in Colorado. Grieving Town Buries Bus Crash Victim SARAH NORDGREN October 27, 1995 FOX RIVER GROVE, Ill. (AP) _ Dazed teen-agers wearing team jackets hugged and wept under a gray sky Friday as they buried the first of seven students killed when a commuter train smashed into their school bus. The school bus involved in a crash with a Metra train in Fox River Grove rests in the McHenry County Impound lot near Woodstock in October 1996, one year after the incident. The driver was a substitute driver that was normally the assistant transportation director for the districts. The failure of judgment meant that around 3 inches (76mm) of the back end of the bus protruded over the nearest rail. said, adding that the bus was at least 35 feet long. The initial cause of the crash was the failure of the bus driver to properly judge the distance between the railroad tracks when the vehicle stopped at a traffic signal across the tracks. According to the York County Coroner, the deceased woman was . Prior to the early 1990s, the Northwest Highway ran as a two-lane road (one lane in each direction) parallel to the former Chicago & North Western rail line (Union Pacific Railroad after April 1995). Ironically, had the train been operating on any line other than the C&NW, the accident may never have occurred. there was a car in the front of the bus or not. Zachary said that immediately after the crash the driver shouted for everyone to get off the bus, and made a radio call. To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Determine what effect sound attenuation materials in buses have on the ability of the bus driver to discern both internal and external audible warnings. Amid the shattered glass, his head filled with the stench of burning wire, he found his brother slumped over a seat, not breathing. Just 1,000 feet to the north of Wednesday's crash site, the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Northwest Highway is identical in configuration to the Algonquin crossroads. The school bus, driven by a substitute driver, was stopped at a traffic light with the rearmost portion extending onto a portion of the railroad tracks when it was struck by a Metra commuter . Most notably, mothers praying and begging that their child was not among the dead. The train was going 69 mph when it hit the rear left of the bus, spinning it 180 degrees and slicing the cab from the chassis like a machete through cake. [4]:4 Five students were killed during the collision and two later died from their injuries. What an awful day. The engineer, whom Goglia did not identify, said he saw the bus stopped on the tracks, immediately started sounding the horn and applied his regular and emergency brakes. The first one especially rattled him. Its a crisp October morning. The driver of the bus also told investigators that she saw only a red light in front of her and never saw the oncoming train. I have covered and edited dozens of tragic stories over time -- from the crash at O'Hare of American Airlines Flight 191 with no survivors and the murders of the Corbett family in Barrington Hills by home invaders, to the Palatine Brown's Chicken restaurant execution-style slaying of the owners and staff in a robbery. Then, one day, five years after the crash, she just stopped after her favorite glass slipped from her hand and shattered. The Illinois Secretary of State's office said the driver, When the C&NW's northwest line, where the accident occurred, was built years later, it followed suit to ensure uniformity in operations, experts said. Develop, with the cooperation of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Operation Lifesaver, educational materials to inform motorists of how a train and/or its cargo can occupy a crossing. Dotson wont be there. She said there was a car in front and one behind the bus with Transportation Department spokesman Dick Adorjan said the Young editor Diane Dungey led a team of reporters in search of an answer: How could this crash have happened? Traditional high school cliques disappeared overnight, as former rivalries were forgotten in the midst of grief and loss, Burriss said. Girlfriend insists her secret visits and conversations with another man dont count as an affair. In addition, vehicle sensors were only present on the north side of the railroad tracks. [8], A large granite memorial and two plaques were placed near the site of the crash in memory of the seven students killed in the crash. He'd planned to head toward the back of the bus. The weather at the bus stop that autumn morning was biting cold, and it didn't help that the driver was running about 20 minutes late. right turn with the back of the bus extended across the The bus driver and 24 other passengers were injured. HOLY CRAP! When Michael Lucas awoke in a hospital after 10 days in a coma, the people at his bedside his mother and father were strangers to him. Fox River Grove Fire Protection District Chief Bob Kreher, left, and his brother, Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District Chief Jim Kreher. The train is now 600ft (183m) from the crossing, traveling 67mph (108km/h). Located on Algonquin Road, about 350 feet southeast of the accident site, the Fox River Grove Fire Department responded at 7:18 a.m. with an ambulance, a fire engine, four emergency medical technicians, and two para- medics. She said it has taken years to recover from the trauma. She feels bad for the bus driver, whom she never faulted: "I know she's suffered. I was blown away.. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. Tests conducted Thursday showed that the bus would have had little time for escape, even under the best circumstances. At the time of the accident, 35 students were on board. Legislation and re-engineering of interconnected crossings across the state of Illinois combined with greater awareness elsewhere resulted in efforts to help to prevent similar crashes from recurring. It wasnt any dream. Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena and Jolene Molitoris, administrator for the Federal Railroad Administration examine the railroad crossing in Fox River Grove where 7 students from Cary-Grove High School died when a Metra train collided with a school bus in October 1995. "They have been this way for years and years," Carlson said. 624 crashed into a school bus at Algonquin Road and Northwest Highway in Fox River Grove on Oct. 25, 1995. 624 crashed into a school bus at that intersection, killing seven teenagers and injuring the bus driver and 24 passengers. impact. "Some school bus drivers at this type of intersection do not cross the track until the light turns green," Goglia said. On Sunday, some will gather at the spot where the crumpled bus sheared from its undercarriage came to rest after the impact. The shudder of the train. However, the traffic light clearing the rail intersection only allowed cars to clear 18seconds after the railway signals activated, giving vehicles only 2 to 6seconds to clear the tracks. NTSB concluded the traffic signal did turn green 6 seconds before impact, but Catencamp was distracted trying to attend to what she presumed was some crisis within the bus. Chairman, CEO and Publisher Doug Ray began working for the Daily Herald in 1970. "It made me appreciate things a little more, be more cautious about my surroundings," Burriss said. Vehicle and Train Crashes: Changes Since Fox River Grove. But the bus driver, Patricia Catencamp, 54, told investigators that the light never turned green. Ohio Pupil Transportation Safety Commission (Spring 2007). Metra Train No. The 200-ton locomotive at the rear of the train pushes six passenger cars and the cab control car. a cervical fracture in the crash. did not, that is DID NOT, turn green allowing her to proceed Her oldest daughter Stephanie who loved to sing and dance and whose feelings were easily hurt had been on the bus. On the morning of Oct. 25, 1995, a school bus in Fox River Grove, Illinois, crossed railroad tracks and immediately stopped for a red light at an intersection next to the tracks. Parents, desperate, huddled at the Fox River Grove fire department a short walk from the crash site. focus on a traffic signal where a train hit a bus killing I hear stories about the person I was and the person I could have been, he says. The commuter train approached and sounded its horn. Seconds later a Metra express train, traveling 70 mph, slammed into the rear of the bus, causing its body to twist off the frame and scattering its 35 passengers. Rather, it launched a Daily Herald investigation that we believe helped save lives. 5.0seconds before impact: The engineer, realizing the bus has not moved from the track, activates the emergency brakes. And because officials wanted to preserve buildings in downtown Fox River Grove on the north side of the road, the expansion went southward toward the tracks. The morning of the accident, Fox River Grove police Chief Robert Polston and an IDOT signal engineer were at the intersection because of reports of problems with the timing of the signals. When the railroad's first line was built in the middle 1800s, it operated on a single track and all the stations were constructed north of the railbed. A month before the deadly collision, another train had sheared the bumper off a pickup truck whose back end hadnt made it fully over the tracks. "The school bus was in the wrong place at the wrong time.". FOX RIVER GROVE, Illinois (CNN) -- As federal investigators focus on a traffic signal where a train hit a bus killing seven students, the bus driver in Wednesday's accident said the. At the crash site, the improved signaling system installed after the crash now protects the passing trains and motor vehicle traffic. Officials said the train was traveling at 50 miles per hour, She stopped on the other side because the light was red, not realizing her bus hadnt fully cleared the tracks. Doing an exhaustive investigation of its own, the National Transportation Safety Board agreed. At the time of the crash, Dotson had been a train engineer for 19 years. Debbie Owens keeps memories of her daughter, irreplaceable things, in a cedar chest at the foot of her bed: some of her high school artwork, a T-shirt from a 1990s rock concert, flowers tied with a pink ribbon from Stephanies funeral, old VHS tapes. 0. The crash has had a lasting affect on the emergency personnel who rushed to the scene of the crash, the survivors, and, of course, the family and friends of loved ones killed when a Metra train slammed into the back of the bus in Fox River Grove on Oct. 25, 1995. Without blaming her for the crash, Goglia said the regular driver's rules were the wiser ones. That accident, it took a part of my life away, he says. State records show that the firm received a multiple-year contract for $16.1 million from the agency in January to perform a wide variety of electrical contractor services for the state, including the inspection of traffic signal devices along railroads. The Fox River Grove crash stands as the worst crash involving a Metra train in its history, and one of the worst grade crossing crashes in U.S. history. This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 16:22. All times are given in Central Daylight Time. I told my wife I was going there. "You can see why I was troubled." One of the fatal accidents took place after the widening project. "You have to find a path that works for you. it took the train only 18 seconds to cover the distance from 7:00am: Metra express commuter train 624 leaves the, 32seconds before impact: The crossing processor detects the presence of the Metra train. I kind of lost my teenage years.". light and the rail. His boss told him to take off as much time as he needed. Chris Knapton, a spokesman for METRA, the commuter train We too mourned. Those include Seven Angels Crossing at Algonquin Road in Fox River Grove, Main Street in Cary, Three Oaks Road in Cary and Walkup Road in Crystal Lake. Beneath clear skies, leaves shimmer copper, gold and red. That suggests that Catencamp may have been able to avoid the crash if she had only pulled up as far as possible, although officials said state law requires school bus drivers to stop at the painted white line. His skull had been fractured from ear to ear. New route designs brought the number of routes crossing railroad tracks in the District 47 and District 155 school systems down from 70% in 1996 to 10% in 1997. Today, he is the company's chairman, CEO and publisher. A memorial sits near train tracks at Algonquin Road and Northwest Highway in Fox River Grove, Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 21, 2020. The spot where it happened wasn't far from my house. Yet "they knew this crossing was a problem," he said. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive. Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. He keeps at it because the bus isnt moving. sounded the train's horn and slammed on breaks as he the light red as the bus waited at the intersection. To the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services: Advise their members of the accident and its circumstances. I dont want people to pity me, he says. The Daily Herald's reporting on traffic signals near railroad intersections led to changes in safety regulations, which have likely saved lives in the years following the Fox River Grove bus collision. 624 crashed into a school bus at that intersection, killing seven teenagers and injuring the bus driver and 24 passengers. If youre in a pinch and lack a coffee machine and a grinder, you can try making whats called cowboy coffee. This might not be the tastiest cup of joe, but itll certainly get the job done. signal," said Goglia. And Ill put a single rose by each grave, and then Ill say a prayer.. She did not understand their message and diverted her attention away from the traffic signal. ", Still, "as a parent, you always wonder what they would be doing now if they were alive? Clark and other parents pushed for safety improvements and were successful in forcing Metra to slow trains to 50 mph in the village, though speed was not indicated as a cause of the collision. There were reports of injuries. No, no, no, no, that would be one of the last things I would want to do because of what happened there, he says. [9], The library under construction in Fox River Grove was named the Fox River Grove Memorial Library in memory of the accident victims. The memorial, called The Circle of Friends, features thirty-six stones to represent the passengers and driver of the bus and seven blue spruce trees to commemorate those who died.[12]. onto route 14.". Shes haunted by a drawing Stephanie sketched about a week before she died, a pastel of a set of weeping eyes. crash. The railroad crossing just southeast of the Fox River Grove Metra station, where Algonquin Road meets U.S. Route 14, had a gate, a bell and flashing red lights. None of the 3 train crew or approximately 120 train passengers were injured. In its report, the NTSB called for widespread changes in rail crossing signalization, among many additional bus and railway safety requirements. To the Illinois Department of Transportation: Review all interconnected crossings in Illinois, and ensure that vehicles at all of these crossings have enough space or time to clear the crossing when a train approaches. His brother picked a seat further back in the bus. River Grove Police Chief Robert Polston and a Transportation The rear of the bus hung over the railway grade crossing. Review the information with both regular and substitute bus drivers regularly. Students on the bus saw it coming, started screaming, and tried to run toward the front of the bus, their sounds were muffled to the driver, somewhat due to the FM radio playing through the speaker adjacent to her. Hes happy anyway because there are no weekend shifts, no one bugging him to work holidays. State records show there have been six accidents there since 1978, four of them fatal. He still has the dream, though not as often these days. [4]:1 At the time of the accident, the Metra train was traveling at approximately 60 miles per hour (97km/h). Hed been involved in accidents before mostly suicides, none he could do anything to prevent. Its like when you crest on a roller coaster, and youre going down, and your breath is taken away.. The family created the Jeff Clark Spirit Award that awards several Scouts every year with a $100 savings bond or summer camp tuition. October 27, 1995 It wasn't any dream. Polston saw the train hit the bus. Christina Bailey, now 37 and living in Arizona, says she was too afraid. The accident is one of the worst in Metra's history. All times are approximate, given in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report as the best approximation of when the events occurred as a result of their investigation. also of Fox River Grove died after suffering head trauma and