tiredEven at 70 MPH (legal on this stretch), there is plenty of time to see this crossing from US-95. The NTSB preliminary report says that the on-board recorder on the train shows that the crossing gates and lights were working and that the train had properly sounded its horn for the crossing. Although we'll probably never know for sure, it seems quite plausible that the gravel truck driver had a case of "highway hypnosis" from the long, straight stretch of road (It's pretty monotonous, in fact) and didn't come to until it was too late to actually stop, although he appears to have tried to do so based on the tire tracks found by the NTSB investigators. The driver paid with his life for the mistake. Unfortunately, so did five other people.
After examining the scene, we got back on I-80 and rocketed across the desert at 75 MPH back to Fernley. We've finished setting up my temporary office in the living room, with space for both my personal and work computers from which I should be able to work comfortably this coming week.
