JAMES R DAVISON . NTSB POLK COUNTY SCHOOL BUS --TRAIN WRECK OCTOBER 23, 1974 ___________________________________________________ THIS WEB-SITE IS ABOUT A SCHOOL BUS WRECK IN ARAGON,GA. ON 10/23/1974.AT A CROSSING NEAR THE OLD ARAGON SCHOOL THE SCHOOL BURNED DOWN IN 1999. THEY WERE SEVEN CHILDREN KILLED. I WANT TO CREDIT THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE FOR THIER EFFORTS IN THIS MATTER. 1)HIGHTOWER LIBRARY IN ROME GA.2)ROME NEWS TRIBUNE 3)NTSB 4)ATLANTA JOURNAL.THEY WILL BE INFORMATION ADDED TO THIS WEB-SITE DAILY. ______________________________________________________ WARNING-- WARNING--WARNING THIS WEB-SITE WILL SHOW PHOTOS OF A TRAIN-BUS WRECK THAT HAPPENED ON WENSDAY 10/23/1974.IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO SEE THESE PLEASE LEAVE WEB-SITE NOW ____________________________________________________ ON OCT.23,1974 IT STARTED JUST LIKE ANY NORMAL MORNING WE WOULD GET UP AND GET DRESSED FOR SCHOOL. WE WOULD ALL MEET AT THE BUS STOP LAUGHING, CARRYING ON WITH EACH OTHER. LITTLE DID WE KNOW THAT EVERYONES LIFE WOULD BE CHANGED FOREVER. I WAS A STUDENT AT THE TIME. I WAS JUST TEN YEARS OLD. IT'S BEEN TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AND I STILL REMEMBER IT AS THOUGH IT WAS TODAY. I REMEMBER GETTING ON THE BUS AND AT A TIME WHEN EVERYTHING WAS QUITE THE DRIVER OF THE BUS SAID "CHILDREN WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE". OUR NORMAL ROUTE WAS TO GO DOWN LONG STATION ROAD. DUE TO THE DERAILED WORK TRAIN WE WENT DOWN THE NEW PROSPECT ROAD. AS WE GOT TO THE CROSSING,THE DRIVER SAID "I BELIEVE WE CAN MAKE IT". WHEN THE BUS WAS HALF WAY ON THE TRACKS CHILDREN WERE SCREAMING " WE ARE GOING TO GET HIT!". SOME CHILDREN WERE SCREAMING "WE ARE GOING TO DIE". " I AM NOT TRYING TO SAY ANYTHING BAD I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO BE SAFE AT RAILROAD CROSSINGS AND OTHER PLACES AT ALL TIMES". THE FACTS WILL SHOW THAT BOTH PARTIES WERE AT FAULT. WHEN THE BUS WAS HIT IT PUSHED US 315 FEET DOWN THE TRACK. AT THE TIME WHEN THE BUS WAS ABOUT TWENTY FIVE TO THIRTY FEET DOWN THE TRACK WE WERE TURNED OVER . THE BUS LANDED ON ITS TOP. THERE WAS A DRIVER BY THE NAME OF ROBERT FORSYTH WHO WAS DRIVING A BUS GOT OFF HIS BUS AND RAN UP TO THE CONDUCTOR AND TOLD HIM THAT "MY GOD MAN YOU HAVE HIT A BUS". ______________________________________________________ NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD _____________________________________________________ HIGWAY ACCIDENT REPORT REPORT NO:NTSB-RHR-75-1 REPORT DATE:JULY7,1975 NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE REPORT PB244467IAS COLLISION OF A SOUTHERN RAILWAY WORK TRAIN WITH A POLK DISTRICT SCHOOL BUS AT ARAGON,GA.OCT.23,1974 SYNOPSIS AT ABOUT 7:55a.m.,e.d.t., OCTOBER 23,1974,A POLK SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL BUS CARRYING 87 STUDENTS, TRAVELING EAST OVER AN UNPROTECTED SOUTHERN RAILWAY GRADE CROSSING ON BELLVIEW ROAD IN ARAGON,GA,WAS STRUCK BY A SOUTHERN RAILWAY WORK TRAIN WHICH WAS BEING SHOVED REARWARD TO THE SOUTH OVER THE CROSSING. BOTH VECHICLES WERE MOVING SLOWLY. THE SCHOOL BUS, OPERATED BY A SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYEE, WAS DRIVEN WITHOUT STOPPING AT THE GRADE CROSSING AND INTO THE PATH OF THE SOUTHBOUND TRAIN. THE CABOOSE WAS THE LEAD CAR AS THE TRAIN APPROACHED THE GRADE CROSSING AND THE LOCOMOTIVE SHOVING THE TRAIN WAS NINE CARS TO THE NORTH. THE TRAIN FLAGMAN ABOARD THE CABOOSE DID NOT GUARD THE CROSSING. THE BUS WAS HIT IN THE MIDDLE LEFT SIDE BY THE CABOOSE, AND WAS PUSHED 315 FEET DOWN THE TRACK BY THE TRAIN BEFORE BOTH VEHICLES STOPPED. THE BUS WAS ROLLED DURING THE CRASH SEQUENCE ONTO ITS ROOF AND WAS OVER-RIDDEN BY THE CABOOSE. SEVEN STUDENTS DIED AS A RESULT OF THE COLLISION; THE BUSDRIVER AND 71 THE STUDENTS WERE INJURED. NO ONE WAS EJECTED FROM THE BUS. NO ONE ON THE TRAIN WAS INJURED. THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD DETERMINES THAT THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF THE SCHOOLBUS DRIVER TO STOP HIS VEHICLE SHORT OF THE TRACK AND WAIT UNTIL IT WAS SAFE TO PROCEED, AND THE FAILURE OF THE FLAGMAN OF THE TRAIN TO GUARD THE UNPROTECTED CROSSING. CONCLUSIONS 1. THE DRIVER OF THE BUS WAS NOT PHYSICALLY INCAPACITATED PRIOR TO THE COLLISION. 2. THEIR IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THE MECHANICAL CONDITION EITHER OF THE SCHOOLBUS OR THE TRAIN CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT. 3. THE DRIVER OF THE SCHOOL BUS , HAD HE BEEN LOOKING, AND THE FLAGMAN, HAD HE BEEN ON THE REAR PLATFORM OF THE CABOOSE, HAD AN UNOBSTRUCTED VIEW BETWEEN THE VEHICLES WHEN THE WERE WITHIN A SAFE STOPPING DISTANCE FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE EDGES OF THE CROSSING.4.THE DRIVER OF THE SCHOOL BUS AND THE FLAGMAN ON THE CABOOSE UNDERSTOOD THEIR RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE SAFE MOVEMENT OVER THE GRADE CROSSING.NEITHER THE DRIVER NOR THE FLAGMAN COMPLIED WITH THOSE RESONSIBILITIES 5. THE REUIREMENT FOR SCHOOL BUSES TO STOP SHORT OF THE RAILROAD TRACK(S) AT A GRADE CROSSING IN MORE THAN A LEGISLATED FORMALITY. IT PROVIDES THE TIME NECESSARY TO DETECT POTENTIAL HAZARDS AND THERBY INSURES SAFE PASSAGE. SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS NEED TO BE MADE AWARE OF THE NECESSITY OF STOPPING AT ALL RAIL-HIGHWAY GRADE CROSSINGS. 6. IT WS ESSENTIAL TO THE SAFE OPERATION OF THE TRAIN DURING ITS REARWARD MOVEMENT THAT THE ACTIONS OF THE TRAINCREW BE MONITORED, AND IF NECESSARY QUESTIONED, BY THE ROAD FOREMAN OF ENGINES. THE ROAD FOREMAN TOOK NO EXCEPTION TO THE MANNER IN WHICH ANY MEMBER OF THE CREW WAS PERFORMING HIS DUTIES. 7. THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ON THE BUS, WHICH WAS IN EXCESS OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA'S AND THE MANUFACTURER'S RATED PASSENGER-CAPACITIES OF THE VEHICLE, DID NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE ACCIDENT. 8.HAD THE CABOOSE BEEN EQUIPPED WITH A RADIO,JACK AT THE SOUTH END OR THE FLAGMAN PROVIDED WITH A PORTABLE RADIO,THE BUS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN HIT. INFO WILL BE ADDED ON AUG.10 2001 http://www.stnonline.com/stn/government/ntsb/accidents/aragon.htm Monday April 29, 2002 11:47AM

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