# Let's Go 106 M.P.H. on a Sharp Curve. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 14, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997 "2015-05-14T02:52:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/1 "2015-05-14T02:52:38Z")
Anyone want to venture a guess how [this happened?](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/14/us/amtrak-train-derails-crash-philadelphia.html?_r=0) ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/2 "2015-05-14T02:57:36Z")
Stupidity, drowsiness or use of a mind altering substance such as an iPhone. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/3 "2015-05-14T03:03:14Z")
Probably fell asleep, same as the dude who did the same thing at Spuyten Duyvil a couple years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/4 "2015-05-14T04:34:35Z")
We’ve had (essentially) self-flying airliners and now self-driving cars for quite awhile. You’d think self-driving trains would have been first for Christ’s sake! ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/5 "2015-05-14T15:13:45Z")
Was on his phone or fell asleep, guaranteed. That whole “I have no recollection” schlock gives it away. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/6 "2015-05-14T15:27:16Z")
Just to play Devil’s Advocate here - there _is_ the possibility of a new medical issue causing something like this, a stroke or seizure for example. It’s unlikely, but not impossible. Absent that, yes - sleep, drugs, phone distraction, or mental illness/suicidal inclination. Suppose it’s a remote possibility he’s a terrorist, but probably not. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/7 "2015-05-14T15:30:41Z")
The speed limit was 50 mph in that section. Anyone know exactly how train engineers are informed of these numbers? ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/8 "2015-05-14T15:31:24Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > We’ve had (essentially) self-flying airliners and now self-driving cars for quite awhile. You’d think self-driving trains would have been first for Christ’s sake! I read that the train was equipped to automatically slow down in dangerous areas, but the tracks also need to be equipped for that to work, and that section isn’t yet. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/9 "2015-05-14T15:39:59Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Just to play Devil’s Advocate here - there _is_ the possibility of a new medical issue causing something like this, a stroke or seizure for example. It’s unlikely, but not impossible. Since the driver was at the police station with a lawyer refusing to talk instead of the hospital I would say a stroke is impossible and a seizure nearly so. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/10 "2015-05-14T15:48:34Z")
I was thinking suicide mission like that plane in France. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/11 "2015-05-14T15:54:10Z")
My first thought, as a frequent passenger on the NE corridor, was “That’s the regional, not the Acela. Are the regional trains even capable of going 100mph?!” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/12 "2015-05-14T16:00:35Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I read that the train was equipped to automatically slow down in dangerous areas, but the tracks also need to be equipped for that to work, and that section isn’t yet. It’s not like it was just a small section that has not been equipped. It is about half of the Northeast Corridor as [this map shows.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=18365117) But it is still the driver’s responsibility to slow the train. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/13 "2015-05-14T16:02:51Z")
Then again, having ridden the SEPTA trains in that area in a previous life, I can see why traveling as fast as possible through that area makes sense. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/14 "2015-05-14T16:23:02Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > My first thought, as a frequent passenger on the NE corridor, was “That’s the regional, not the Acela. Are the regional trains even capable of going 100mph?!” Yes, the Northeast Regionals regularly get up to about 110mph on certain stretches. The Acela maxes out at 150mph in a few sections in Massachusetts. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/15 "2015-05-14T16:38:05Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Since the driver was at the police station with a lawyer refusing to talk instead of the hospital I would say a stroke is impossible and a seizure nearly so. That happens when he gets the lawyer’s bill. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/16 "2015-05-14T17:30:38Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Since the driver was at the police station with a lawyer refusing to talk instead of the hospital I would say a stroke is impossible and a seizure nearly so. Stroke certainly unlikely, but [“absence seizures”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absence_seizure) do not leave a person incapacitated or symptomatic, and the person might not be aware they were “absent”. Given he _did_ get a knock on the head serious enough to require stitches/staples residual symptoms of either one of those could also resemble the symptoms of a concussion. Which, by the way, often results in memory loss. Which means he really might not remember the accident or the time immediately proceeding it at all. I will also point out that the driver actually WAS taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries, and, contrary to your statement, he WAS cooperating with police, volunteering blood and urine samples as well as turning over his cell phone for inspection. He has retained a lawyer, which is only prudent under the circumstances but the news is reporting cooperation with the authorities and investigation, not refusal. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/17 "2015-05-14T17:48:20Z")
The region where the crash happened is only 10 minutes from 30th Street Station, so I doubt sleeping was involved. The tracks had been inspected earlier that day, so their poor condition is unlikely to be a factor. My understanding is that while he might have given blood and urine (which I bet is required by his contract) he refused to give a statement to the police. The bastard knows he is to blame. That he suffered injuries is hardly a reason to feel sorry for him. So did most of the other people on that train, and they were innocent. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/18 "2015-05-14T17:49:27Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I will also point out that the driver actually WAS taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries, and, contrary to your statement, he WAS cooperating with police, volunteering blood and urine samples as well as turning over his cell phone for inspection. He has retained a lawyer, which is only prudent under the circumstances but the news is reporting cooperation with the authorities and investigation, not refusal. What shocked me was a report in today’s paper that said something like the authorities were giving the driver a day or 2 to recover from the stressful situation before questioning him further. I’m not going so far as to say the driver is going to intentionally chage his version of events. But human memory is pretty darned unreliable in the best of circumstances, and is subject to considerable conscious and unconscious modification over time. Not to equate the driver with a murderer, but if the cops catch a guy holding a bloody knife and standing over a body, do they give him time to compose himself and get over his distress? There is at least a pretty good chance that this guy was not doing everything exactly as he ought to, or else this incident wouldn’t have happened. Unless he was driving an Audi locomotive and was the victim of sudden unintended acceleration! ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/19 "2015-05-14T18:02:35Z")
This is not a criminal investigation and the NTSB is not a law enforcement agency. They know how to handle people involved in accidents and their actions with regard to the engineer are typical of their process. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997/20 "2015-05-14T18:43:18Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Not to equate the driver with a murderer, but if the cops catch a guy holding a bloody knife and standing over a body, do they give him time to compose himself and get over his distress? Not a good comparison at all, however… yes, if someone is agitated while holding a bloodied knife over a body it is generally a good idea to calm him/her down rather than, I dunno, generating a hail of bullets or screaming YOU GUILTY BASTARD!!! at him/her. > [@](#): > > There is at least a pretty good chance that this guy was not doing everything exactly as he ought to, or else this incident wouldn’t have happened. Unless he was driving an Audi locomotive and was the victim of sudden unintended acceleration! Until the possibility of mechanical failure is truly eliminated can we put a hold on the lynching party? I understand the visceral satisfaction in having a valid and guilty scapegoat but he’s entitled to an investigation and a trial, not summary execution. If he’s as guilty as he appears to be that will be validated by the investigation. If he’s not, if something else happened to cause this accident, I’d really rather know the truth than have the transitory and false satisfaction of punishing the wrong cause. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-go-106-m-p-h-on-a-sharp-curve/719997.md?page=2)