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Tourist train slams into SUV; no one injured
Dennis J. Carroll | For The New Mexican
Posted: Sunday, November 01, 2009 - 11/2/09
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The Santa Fe Southern Railway train with about 25 tourists aboard slammed into a Land Rover sport-utility vehicle just before 4 p.m. Sunday at the Rabbit Road crossing south of Interstate 25. No one was seriously injured, according to state police.

The driver of the vehicle, Elaine Siegel, 65, of Santa Fe, declined treatment by paramedics, police said, and no one on the train, which was traveling about 10 miles per hour, was hurt.

Sgt. Lawrence Murray said the caboose of the train, which was traveling north from Lamy, hit Siegel's vehicle as she attempted to cross the tracks from the west, apparently ignoring the flashing signals and ringing bells.

Murray said her vehicle was pushed about 30 feet along the tracks, and ended up facing west on the east side of the tracks.

It was towed from the scene.

Murray said the train came to a stop about 120 feet from the intersection.

Siegel said that with the sun behind her, she did not notice the flashing signals and was not sure that they were even working.

She said she was returning from a flea market at the Oshara Village development.

Siegel was alone in the vehicle.

Police spokesman Lt. Eric Garcia said Siegel will be charged with failing to yield to the train.

Thousands of visitors yearly ride in the train's vintage 1920s coaches or stand on a flatbed car as the train traces the original route that carried early tourists, new residents, artists, scientists and business people into the city.

At the time of the crash the train consisted of the engine, a cab car, the flatbed car, another cab car and the caboose, Murray said.

He said the case will be given to the National Transportation and Safety Board for further investigation.


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Comments (23)
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peter ogden   (posted on 11/6/2009)
She grew up in New Jersey then moved to SFe from San Diego was eating alfalfa sprouts and a pomegranate [sp?] when accident occurred. Another example of SFe Indifference---to large moving objects in this case. Some folks can't drive when sober.
peter ogden   (posted on 11/6/2009)
Great ad potential for Land Rover. Train engineer was not informed that they must always stop to give Land Rovers right of way? Driver used to drive a Volvo.
Josh V   (posted on 11/3/2009)
Ten miles an hour! How did she not see the lights and the train? Someone should not have her license anymore.
Drive By Poster   (posted on 11/2/2009)
god, i LOVE santa fe! :)
Drive By Poster   (posted on 11/2/2009)
the story reads that after the collision, the train travelled about 120 further.. yet, the photo accompanying this article shows the train "cattle car" right at the broken down pig suv. so, i'm guessing, that the santa fe southern backed up 120 feet, so that that the tourists on the "cattle car" could wave at the camera man and take pictures of the land rover pig. LOL good ole santa fe souther! wooooo-a-wooooooooooo! :)
Bubba Snitz   (posted on 11/2/2009)
The rail crossing lights are impossible to see in the morning when the sun is in your eyes and if you are blinded by the late afternoon sun angle through your rear view mirror, you may not see them, either. The train signals seriously need an upgrade to improve visibility.
Geoff Webb   (posted on 11/2/2009)
It is unclear to me how a train travelling at 10mph could reasonably be described as "slamming" into a vehicle presumably travelling at the 40 mph speed limit. Is not the faster vehicle the "slammer" and the slower one the "slamee"? To be correct one could write the vehicle crossed in front of a lumbering, slow moving train resulting in a collision. The train and its operators were clearly not at fault in this accident however the misleading sensational headline infers otherwise.
Khal Spencer   (posted on 11/2/2009)
Are we sure the caboose was at the trailing end? Sometimes slow, short distance trains run with the locomotive in back and the caboose at the business end. Yeah, Christina. The train ALWAYS wins. Maybe we need that statement on the crossing sign.
Christina Boyce   (posted on 11/2/2009)
I note that the driver hit the caboose... usually they are at the end of trains... the article is unclear but it would appear that the train was on the tracks in front of her. The headline on this story is erroneous...clearly the train did not slam into the SUV, rather, the driver of the SUV ran into the train...good thing it was only going 10miles an hour. A more accurate headline would be: DISTRACTED DRIVER VS TRAIN ~ Train Wins ~ Luckily, No one Hurt!
Julian Sanchez   (posted on 11/2/2009)
Geoff Webb, it's not the fault of caboose it was the foolish driver who tried to beat the train, 'she apparently ignored the flashing signals and ringing bells' according to police. Trains are not to blame for any accidents, it stupid drivers in a hurry to get to nowhere! Let's see this fool will try it again!
Geoff Webb   (posted on 11/2/2009)
Once again the evil nasty train is at fault, recklessly "slamming" into a poor innocent car. Perhaps the headline should have read "Rail Crossing FAIL" or "Bright yellow, big as a house, bright lights, earsplitting horn... which part of this did you miss?". How about doing your readers a service and post this event as a warning instead of a cheap sensational headline?
P Orlando Baca   (posted on 11/2/2009)
Geezerhood Ambro? I beg your pardon. I'm at geezerhood age, but don't use that as an excuse. I'll bet that "us old geezers" drive more safely than many others. Geezerhood. Wait . . . how old are u Ambro? lol
Khal Spencer   (posted on 11/2/2009)
I am fast approaching geezerhood, so I remember when trains were more common, including big, fast freight trains and really, really fast passenger trains. To respond ot Goldstar VW: On major arterials or superhighways, tracks were grade-separated. On more trafficked side roads, the tracks had gates and lights. Smaller side roads often had lights alone. Little, out of the way crossings would simply have a railroad crossing sign, i.e., crossed boards painted white and saying Railroad Crossing: Stop, Look, and Listen. Its somewhat telling that we don't expect that of people any more. http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-1277156-classic-railroad-crossing-stop-look-and-listen-caution-warning-sign.php Part of the problem is we have such low personal safety standards. Blow the crossing and get nailed? Blame the train or the government. People need to get their own act together. Operation Lifesaver home page: http://www.oli.org/
Ambro A   (posted on 11/2/2009)
Old Lady drivers are driving like terrorists. It must be some kind of Geezer plague.
Goldstar VW   (posted on 11/2/2009)
I don't know much about train crossings- is there a reason there are no arms that come down over the road like there are at other crossings? I love the train, and that train whistle is pretty loud too, although I can imagine if one was in the car with the radio turned up it would be hard to hear. Glad this didn't turn out worse- I love the train and I don't want anyone to get hurt.
c am   (posted on 11/2/2009)
What is up with the headline. Land Rover plows into train is more like it.
Bill Baillargeon   (posted on 11/2/2009)
This raises the broader issue of traffic safety on Rabbit Road, in general. It was really only a matter of time before such an incident occurred at this grade crossing. Ms. Siegel is lucky it wasn't a more unhappy outcome for her. Since Rabbit Road was connected to Richards Avenue through Oshara Village, traffic has increased considerably, and it travels far too fast, well in excess of the posted 40 mph speed limit, which is too fast to begin with. Rabbit Road has become a hazard, especially for those us trying to enter it from Old Galisteo Road, the road immediately to the west of the grade crossing. We have a limited sight distance when trying to assess traffic approaching on Rabbit Road from the west. This is especially so when the county fails to keep the weeds down along the right of way - the usual state of affairs. In order to slow traffic on Rabbit Road and provide for a safe entrance from Old Galisteo Road, there needs to be a three-way stop at that intersection. This also would have the effect of slowing traffic approaching the grade crossing which, in any event, probably ought to be gated. And I suspect my neighbors in the Santiago subdivision would wish for a three-way stop at the intersection of Entrada de Santiago and Rabbit Road, as well.
Khal Spencer   (posted on 11/2/2009)
How do you miss a train when it is travelling at 10 mph? Don't mess with a train. 100 tons of train will always win over a car. Thankfully, no obituary with this story.
Santiago F   (posted on 11/2/2009)
Any time a train crashes into a vehicle, the vehicle driver is an IDIOT!! Everytime. No excuses! Darwin was perfectly correct when he studied the least common denominator...
Megalito Santa Fe   (posted on 11/2/2009)
One would hope that they make her take a driving test at the DMV, a hearing test and a vision test.
Rita S   (posted on 11/2/2009)
Train slaims into SUV??? Someone needs to correct the headline.
scott wilson   (posted on 11/2/2009)
Either she was trying to beat the train to the crossing, or her senses are so dulled that her driving ability is impaired. She's lucky she's ok, and her carelessness didn't injure others. Idiot.
karl hardy   (posted on 11/2/2009)
10 miles per hour hardly means "slammed" - headline seems to blame train-sun"behind her? i can understand sun in her eyes but behind her? - who writes this?


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