Railroad Ties: Fatal Crash Sparks Painful Memories

Albert Asmega lived when a train hit his car in Seffner. Tuesday, Michael Hill died in a similar crash.

By PAUL LAMISON / WFLA

By RAY REYES The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jul 19, 2007

PLANT CITY - A chilling sense of deja vu struck Albert Asmega when he saw an Amtrak Silver Star knocked off the tracks Tuesday after colliding with a truck, killing the driver.

"Damn," said Asmega, a 66-year-old Plant City resident, "that could've been me."

Asmega suffered cuts and bruises when he survived a similar vehicle-train collision three months ago in Seffner. Accidents like his, and Monday's crash that killed four people in Lakeland, are not uncommon, according to statistics compiled by the Florida Railroad Administration.

There have been two fatalities and a total of 28 accidents involving vehicles at CSX crossings in Hillsborough County since 2004, according to the administration.

Tuesday's wreck, which killed 34-year-old Plant City truck driver Michael Hill, injured at least 15 passengers and caused the passenger train to wobble off the tracks just east of Park Road, is an eerie echo of a wreck that almost killed Asmega in April.

Hill and Asmega were both pulling out of private driveways marked with railroad crossing signs instead of electronic gates. Hill was hauling building materials. Asmega had put his car in reverse after looking at a car for sale adjacent to the tracks.

Both men's vehicles were hit by trains on Amtrak's Miami-to-New York Silver Star route that runs parallel to U.S. 92 through much of Hillsborough County.

'A Little Luck' Is Involved

It is not unheard of for someone to walk away from such a wreck, said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Larry Coggins, noting that what saved Asmega was probably the position of his Lincoln Town Car on the tracks.

"It depends what angle the train strikes the vehicle," Coggins said. "A little luck and geometry is involved."

If he had backed out more slowly, the Amtrak train would have crushed the passenger cabin instead of shearing off his car's front end, Asmega said.

Asmega and his wife, Dolores, said they would like to see the maximum 79 mph speed limit for passenger trains lowered.

"I just don't see the sense in it," Dolores, 57, said. "These trains shouldn't be able to go through towns at 80 mph. There's just so many accidents lately."

How Fast Is Too Fast?

Opinions were mixed in Plant City on current speed limits for trains. A couple of residents felt the trains needed to be slowed, but City Manager David Sollenberger said he has never had a call from a citizen asking for a lower speed limit for Amtrak trains traveling through the city.

Sollenberger said he has no knowledge of how much Amtrak trains slow down when entering city limits, but added he doubts they maintain their top speed. Maximum speed limits are regulated on a federal level, CSX spokesman Gary Sease said. The speed limit for Amtrak trains through Plant City was unavailable Wednesday.

Sollenberger said he was told that the train was going 74 mph when it hit Hill's truck on the outskirts of town about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Under an intense early afternoon sun, Amtrak mechanical foreman Edward Simmons took off his hard hat Wednesday and wiped the sweat on his brow with his sleeve. Simmons had just finished checking the springs and wheels of the Silver Star that demolished the Mack truck that Hill was driving.

The train was moved early Wednesday about one mile west from the crash site to tracks that cut through Plant City's historical downtown district. Amtrak and CSX crews spent more than 20 hours clearing and repairing the tracks along U.S. 92.

Dents and fissures of twisted metal scarred the front of the engine. Red paint from Hill's truck streaked a large section below the headlights. Spider-web cracks had fractured the windshield at the spot where witnesses said the engineer's head slammed into the glass.

Despite the damage, Simmons said the Silver Star was operational. It was scheduled to arrive at a freight yard in Lakeland for further inspection late Wednesday.

Amtrak passenger train service is expected to resume today for both the single northbound and southbound daily trains through Tampa. Passengers traveling both routes were diverted to a station in Orlando on Wednesday while track repairs were completed.

Albert Asmega said he and his wife went to the scene of Tuesday's wreck and derailment out of curiosity. It took moments for him to realize he was looking into a mirror image of what had happened to him in April.

"I never knew what hit me," Asmega said. "It brings memories back."

Reporters Kurt Loft and Ted Jackovics contributed to this report. Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 865-4433 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.