Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Retired Md. firefighters remember fatal Amtrak crash in Silver Spring, 20 years ago
Retired Md. firefighters remember fatal Amtrak crash in Silver Spring, 20 years ago
By Kate Ryan | @kryanwtop.com
February 16, 2016 8:39 am
Two retired Montgomery County firefighters remember the day, 20 years ago, they responded to a fiery collision between an Amtrak passenger train and a commuter train in Silver Spring, Maryland, that led to 11 deaths.
WASHINGTON — It happened 20 years ago, but the memories of a horrific and fatal train wreck in Silver Spring remain sharp for the people called to the scene. And what happened that night and the challenges posed by the crash led to national changes in rail-safety standards. ... Jim LaMay can pin it down to the minute: it was 5:46 p.m. on a snowy February night in 1996 when he was called from the Montgomery County firehouse where he served as a lieutenant to respond to a train wreck. ... A MARC commuter train from West Virginia and an Amtrak train collided on the tracks near the 16th Street Bridge in Silver Spring. Eleven people died in the crash — eight of them were young people in a jobs-training program.
....
The horrific fire in the railcars pointed out glaring deficiencies in railcar safety. {Monte Fitch, another retired Montgomery County firefighter,} likens it to trying to open a flaming tin can without a can opener. ... The windows on the railcars were made of a highly durable, impact resistant plastic. Riders desperate to get out couldn’t open them from the inside, and the firefighters couldn’t open the windows from the outside.
A federal investigation led to changes in the passenger railcar design that riders see today. The crash led passenger cars to require a “quick release” mechanisms for exterior doors and that windows be removable in the event of an emergency. Also, it led to the requirement that emergency exits be marked with “luminescent or retroreflective material.” .... Both men say the tragedy has stayed with them, but so has something else: the fact that the crash led to changes that increase the likelihood that passengers could survive a crash. Also with them is the knowledge that the department from which they retired is still responding to all kinds of emergency calls — day and night — determined to keep people safe.
By Kate Ryan | @kryanwtop.com
February 16, 2016 8:39 am
Two retired Montgomery County firefighters remember the day, 20 years ago, they responded to a fiery collision between an Amtrak passenger train and a commuter train in Silver Spring, Maryland, that led to 11 deaths.
WASHINGTON — It happened 20 years ago, but the memories of a horrific and fatal train wreck in Silver Spring remain sharp for the people called to the scene. And what happened that night and the challenges posed by the crash led to national changes in rail-safety standards. ... Jim LaMay can pin it down to the minute: it was 5:46 p.m. on a snowy February night in 1996 when he was called from the Montgomery County firehouse where he served as a lieutenant to respond to a train wreck. ... A MARC commuter train from West Virginia and an Amtrak train collided on the tracks near the 16th Street Bridge in Silver Spring. Eleven people died in the crash — eight of them were young people in a jobs-training program.
....
The horrific fire in the railcars pointed out glaring deficiencies in railcar safety. {Monte Fitch, another retired Montgomery County firefighter,} likens it to trying to open a flaming tin can without a can opener. ... The windows on the railcars were made of a highly durable, impact resistant plastic. Riders desperate to get out couldn’t open them from the inside, and the firefighters couldn’t open the windows from the outside.
A federal investigation led to changes in the passenger railcar design that riders see today. The crash led passenger cars to require a “quick release” mechanisms for exterior doors and that windows be removable in the event of an emergency. Also, it led to the requirement that emergency exits be marked with “luminescent or retroreflective material.” .... Both men say the tragedy has stayed with them, but so has something else: the fact that the crash led to changes that increase the likelihood that passengers could survive a crash. Also with them is the knowledge that the department from which they retired is still responding to all kinds of emergency calls — day and night — determined to keep people safe.
