1999 Bourbonnais, Illinois, train accident
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| Date | March 15, 1999 |
|---|---|
| Time | 9:47 pm |
| Location | Bourbonnais, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Operator | Illinois Central Railroad |
| Type of incident | Derailment |
| Cause | Track Circuit (Approach Circuit) failure to detect the Amtrak train immediately. |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Deaths | 11 |
| Injuries | 122 |
The 1999 Bourbonnais, Illinois, train crash was a train-truck collision between Amtrak's southbound City of New Orleans passenger train and a semi truck in the village of Bourbonnais, Illinois, near the city of Kankakee. Most of the train derailed, killing 11 people. A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into the accident attributed the cause to the truck driver trying to beat the train across a grade crossing. However, the Illinois State Police investigation found Track Circuit malfunction as the cause. The NTSB's recommendations from the accident included increased enforcement of grade crossing signals, the installation of event recorders at all new or improved grade crossings, and procedures to provide emergency responders with accurate lists of all crew members and passengers aboard trains. The city of Bourbonnais erected a memorial near the site to commemorate those killed in the accident.
The collision occurred at 9:47 pm Central (local) time on March 15, 1999, in Bourbonnais, Illinois, in the United States on the Illinois Central Railroad. The southbound Amtrak train 59, the City of New Orleans, hit a semi truck loaded with steel that was blocking a grade crossing. The collision resulted in the deaths of at least 11 of the train's passengers, 122 injuries and over US$14 million in damage.
Both of the train's locomotives and 11 of the train's 14 passenger cars derailed; the derailed cars hit two of 10 freight cars on a siding next to the mainline.
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