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THE RAILROAD TRACKS AS A TRAIN
IS APPROACHING.
BUT DRIVERS AREN'T THE ONLY ONES
WHO FEAR A MAJOR
ACCIDENT.. IT'S SOMETHING NO
EMERGENCY WORKER EVER
WANTS TO EXPERIENCE.
SOME LOCAL CREWS ARE DOING WHAT
THEY CAN TO BE PREPARED.
NEWS 10'S MICHAEL CLOUSE
EXPLAINS.
" IT'S 6 A-M AND PITCH BLACK.
VISIBILITY IS AT A MINIMUM AND
DRIVING IS DANGEROUS. WHEN ALL
OF A SUDDEN.
NAT OF TRAIN IT'S A SOUND THAT
CAN SEND SHIVERS DOWN YOUR
SPINE. ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE
HERE..
TRAPPED ON THE RAILS. THIS
SCENARIO IS JUST AS SCARY
FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE CREWS AND
RAILROAD PERSONNEL.
AND IT'S THE REASON GREEN COUNTY
OFFICIALS
DECIDED TO HOLD A MOCK ACCIDENT.
"KNOWING WHAT
THEY'RE DOING, KNOWING WHAT
WE'RE DOING, IT JUST COMES IN
TOGETHER. KNOWING WHAT OTHER
VEHICLE OR EXTRACATION
EQUIPMENT YOU HAVE AVAILABLE IN
THE AREAS AND OTHER
DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE RESPONDING,
AND JUST GETTING
EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE."
PUTTING ON AN ACCIDENT OF
THESE PROPORTIONS TOOK MONTHS OF
PLANNING.
ALL LEADING UP TO A CRASH THAT
ONLY TAKES A FEW SECONDS.
PLAY THROUGH THE TRAIN CRASH "IN
THE PAST WE'VE DONE
DISASTER DRILLS WHERE YOU SIT
AROUND A CONFERENCE
TABLE AND PLAY OUT THE SCENARIO.
DOING SOMETHING LIKE
THIS WHERE YOU HAVE A VEHICLE
INVOLVED IN A COLLISION WITH A
TRAIN; IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME
SINCE WE'VE DONE THIS AND
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT." BUT THE
ACCIDENT WAS
MORE THAN A COLLISION. WITH
VICTIMS SPREAD OUT..
CREWS WERE FORCED TO REACT IN
REAL-TIME. "I WAS CONCERNED
ABOUT GETTING ALL THE PATIENTS
TRANSPORTED OUT AND MOVED
OUT, BUT I THINK IT WENT REAL
WELL; IT WENT BETTER THAN WE
EXPECTED." A MOCK ACCIDENT LIKE
THIS ACTUALLY SERVES 2 PURPOSES.
ONE, IT HELPS EMERGENCY
PERSONELL IN KNOWING HOW TO DEAL
WITH THESE TYPES OF
INCIDENTS, BUT IT ALSO HELPS THE
RAILROAD, WHOSE NUMBER ONE
PRIORITY IS SAFETY." "FOR MANY
MANY MANY YEARS,
RAILROADING WAS A VERY DANGEROUS
OCCUPATION.
THESE DAYS, STATISTICALLY IN
2010, YOU WERE MORE LIKELY TO
GET INJURED ON THE JOB AT A
GROCERY STORE THAN YOU WOULD
ON A RAILROAD. THAT TELLS YOU
HOW TRULY SAFE RAILROADS HAVE
BECOME." SAFER BECAUSE OF
TRAINING LIKE
THIS. HOPING THAT NO
CATASTROPHE
WILL EVER HAPPEN.. BUT IF IT
DOES.. THEY'LL BE READY. "I'M
SURE THEY'LL BE WAYS THAT WE CAN
IMPROVE, BOTH ON THE
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SIDE AND ON
THE RAILROAD SIDE,
BUT I THINK EVERYONE IS PRETTY
HAPPY WALKING AWAY
FROM HERE." IN TERRE HAUTE..
NAT SOUND MICHAEL CLOUSE.. NEWS
10. "
ACCORDING TO THE U-S DEPARTMENT
OF TRANSPORTATIO
N.. THERE ARE ABOUT 58- HUNDRED
VEHICLE TRAIN
ACCIDENTS EACH YEAR IN THE
UNITED STATES.
TWO OF THE TOP CLASS-A HIGH