Seattle Injury News

Fill out the form
to speak to an
Injury Lawyer Now.

Rescue Crews Use Crane And Tow Truck To Separate Monorail Trains

December 29, 2005

Two Seattle Monorail trains were separated after rescue crews used a giant hydraulic crane and a powerful tow truck to split them up following a collision. The two trains sideswiped each other on a narrow section of the elevated tracks and became stuck.

It was the first time the crane and the tow truck was used in unison to perform this type of procedure. Crews were making progress until early Tuesday when it was discovered that they could not move the trains any further.

The repair efforts were extended for another day in order to be able to get the two trains off the tracks and into the mechanics for repairs.

The two trains were both going around a bend near downtown when they sideswiped each other and became stuck. There were 84 people aboard the trains which were on the elevated tracks 28 feet in the air.

Repair crews will have to move the trains a mile north in order to get them into the maintenance shop.

This accident required new methods of repair because it is the first time that both trains were broken down. Usually one train is used to pull the other when repairs are needed.

Until now, the engineers have not been able to get the trains to move farther than a quarter of the necessary distance.

The use of the 120-ton hydraulic crane attached to a pulley system which was in turn connected to a tow truck is the first attempt of its kind to perform this type of move. The experiment was a success and crews have been slowly able to move the trains closer to where they need to be.

The two trains finally broke free from each other about 40 feet north of the crash site making it easier for crews to move them.

This type of accident is normally avoided with the use of a signal system that alerts oncoming trains of their proximity to the turn. It is known that the tracks are too close for the two trains to pass around the curve at the same time and the southbound train usually yields the right of way to the north bound train.

Investigators from the state Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Board are still in the process of trying to figure out if the accident was caused my a technical malfunction or if it was due to human error.

The trains have also been involved in another incident in which a fire broke out and left about 100 commuters stranded.