Train Wreck

I returned to work on March 18th, which was a Tuesday. I chose to start on a Tuesday because I wanted to make sure I would have a short first week. I had planned on a quiet Monday that would replicate a day at work for me so that Sophia could spend time really getting to know her not-really-a-nanny, but it turned out to be a train wreck. No, really it literally was a train wreck. Kurt got up at his usual Monday morning time and hopped into the shower. He doesn’t really hop in the morning, but stay with me. While he was in the shower I heard a loud crash outside that sounded very much like the time years ago before we drew the line from “just dating” to annoying some (many) family members by living together in wonderful sin in his old apartment complex. One night some person either driving drunk or visually challenged at night, couldn’t avoid or could not see the giant green dumpster just in front of their car just before impact. On Monday March 17th that metal on metal impact was amplified from dumpster size to multiple train engine size and the car was now a semi carrying pizzas. Aside from the fact that I live close enough to hear the impact it was phenomenally cool, yes I’m morbid. Unfortunately, no one was hurt. I’m with Uncle George on this. I like multiple car accidents, massive hurricanes and serial killers.

Kurt said that he heard the train horn before impact and that it was longer than usual. Then he heard the impact, followed by sirens. I was half-asleep and only caught the impact. I was sure there had been an accident since the sound was clearly not the train just slowing down on the spur track while each successive car slows and pushes on its hitch. Seriously, it was that loud. And our house isn’t *really* that close to the tracks, but I had no idea that it could be so bad that the tracks bent into a pretzel. It was awesome. I woke up our not-a-nanny with, “do you want to take pictures of a real train wreck”. I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think she normally wakes up so quickly. After Sophia’s morning nap, our not-a-nanny and I spent the day going back and forth on the roads the police would allow us on. I actually found a road off the Ford dealership that the police hadn’t determined to be dangerous yet where we got a great view of the three engines and the mangled track. I guess the whole thing really helped make up for the fact that I would be starting work again the next day. Although maybe it was a sign.

From the local paper, The Everett Herald:

Train, truck collide in Marysville

By Jackson Holtz and Diana Hefley
Herald Writers

The collision happened about 5:45 a.m., said Marysville Fire District spokeswoman Stephanie Price. The truck driver and one train crew member were taken to an Everett hospital as a precaution.

The truck apparently was making a delivery to the Pacific Grinding Wheel Company headquarters, Marysville police Lt. Jeff Goldman said.

A spokeswoman at Pacific Grinding declined to comment Monday.

The engineer on the northbound train tried to avoid the collision, applying the emergency brake and blowing the train’s whistle, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway spokesman Gus Melonas said.

The train was traveling about 49 mph in the 60-mph zone, Melonas said. It was headed to Vancouver, B.C., from Pasco. Three cars were loaded with general freight and 69 other cars were empty, he said. It typically takes about a mile for a train that large to come to a stop.

The truck was stopped at a private crossing that’s marked with a cross-hatch and a stop sign but not equipped with signal lights or crossing arms. It would be up to the property owner to invest in any improvements, Melonas said.

Investigators on Monday were trying to determine why the truck was on tracks, Goldman said.

State Avenue between 136th Avenue and 116th Avenue was expected to be closed until early this morning as crews cleaned up the mess, Goldman said.