The engineer of a Metra train that struck a pickup truck in Elgin on Monday, killing its 74-year-old driver, also operated the train that plowed into vehicles that were backed up on the tracks in Elmwood Park last month, Metra officials said Tuesday.
One day after the Elgin accident that killed Yorkville resident Vernon Smith and less than a month after the Elmwood Park crash, the 56-year-old engineer called on motorists to pay more attention to their surroundings and obey traffic signals and rules.
“There’s no reason for this. There’s no reason at all,” said Schaumburg resident Wayne Lumpkins, who has been an engineer for 30 years, including nearly nine years at Metra.
“They need to obey the rules and slow down,” he added. “It’s simple. Stop, look and listen.”
Sitting in an office at Metra headquarters in Chicago, Lumpkins spoke publicly for the first time since the Nov. 23 Elmwood Park accident. That afternoon, his train struck five cars on the tracks and they then caromed into 11 other vehicles, injuring at least 13 people. Federal investigators have said the accident likely was caused by motorists who ignored warning signs and stopped on the tracks. “Everyone who was involved in that, they should get down on their knees and thank God because that could have been worse,” said Lumpkins, who received counseling and returned to work a week later. “I know I did.”
Lumpkins has not been accused of wrongdoing in either incident and has a clean record at Metra, agency spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said.
Lumpkins, who is seeking counseling after Monday night’s incident, said he wanted to speak publicly to raise people’s awareness about the need to take appropriate precautions around trains and at rail crossings.
Because Metra faces lawsuits from the Elmwood Park crash, Lumpkins could not say what he thinks should be done at that crossing, where the train speed limit has been reduced to 30 mph from 70 mph at the Illinois Commerce Commission’s recommendation.
Metra has been meeting with state and federal officials to discuss if additional safety measures should be taken at the crossing.
In general, Lumpkins says motorists who violate traffic rules should be ticketed, and the legal system should ensure violators pay hefty fines.
He also said it wasn’t the first time he has seen cars try to beat the train at that Elmwood Park crossing.
“This happens all the time,” he said.
But he had never seen as many vehicles backed up on the tracks as he did on Nov. 23, a phenomenon he attributed to people trying to rush home for the holiday. He said he spotted the cars when he was about 200 feet away from the crossing and immediately pulled the emergency brake to slow the train, which was traveling at 70 mph with its horn blaring.
“As soon as I saw it, I thought, ‘Oh my God. This is going to be bad.’ “
“You can’t imagine what you feel like when you see cars start flying in front of you,” Lumpkins said. “You start thinking real quick, ‘I hope nobody dies.’ “
Lumpkins said there’s not much an engineer can do to stop a train when a car darts in front of it. The weight of trains makes it impossible for them to stop quickly, he said.
