Truck Hit by Approaching Train Strikes Three Pedestrians in Pleasantville
From the Atlantic City Press Published: Thursday, March 27, 2008
By LYNDA COHEN Staff Writer, 609-272-7257 Published: Thursday, March 27, 2008
PLEASANTVILLE - Five people - including three pedestrians - were injured Wednesday afternoon when a tow-truck driver.
A car was stopped for the cargo train, which had slowed as it approached Route 9 coming through the Atlantic City Cemetery at 2:40 p.m., Pleasantville Police Officer Herbert Simons said. But Frank Guenther, 22, went around the car and tried to make it over the tracks before the train got there, police said. He didn't quite make it across.
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"Why would you think you can beat a train?" asked Charlie Hill, of Pleasantville, as he watched the scene being cleared. "It's crazy."
The train clipped the Guenther and Sons tow truck, sending the vehicle spinning; the flatbed struck three Pleasantville residents walking near the side entrance to Admiral Nissan, police said.
Jerome Seymour, 33, and his girlfriend, Sebrina McWhite, 32, were taken to the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Simons said. They were not listed as patients at the hospital Wednesday night. The third pedestrian, Cathy McWhite, 28, remained hospitalized, but her family asked that her condition not be released, a nursing supervisor said.
The truck also damaged two cars parked on the Admiral lot, along with a utility pole. Investigators at the scene said the pole may have saved the pedestrians' lives, absorbing part of the impact.
"It scared the living (expletive) out of me," said Joe Bettencourt, a Nissan worker who had just pulled a car out into the area when the crash happened.
"You see that empty spot?" he asked, pointing to where two men's sneakers lay on the side of the road. "That's where I was."
No other workers were in the vicinity at the time, but all said they heard the crash.
"It was loud," five employees gathered near scene said in unison.
Tim Long, who has worked at Nissan for several years, pointed out that there is no arm that comes down to stop traffic from crossing the tracks for an approaching train.
"There's just a light," he said.
"They're always trying to beat the light," Bettencourt said. "But it was one (train) car. Why wouldn't he wait? It would have been gone in 10 seconds."
"It's crazy," said Hill, who works at PleasanTech Academy II, about a block away. He and Dean Harris said they hear the trains rumbling by all the time - and notice how drivers often ignore them.
"We heard that train passing," Harris said. "When they blow the horn, drivers don't stop. They try to dodge the train."
"That's suicidal," Hill said, shaking his head.
Guenther, who lives in Egg Harbor Township, and his passenger, Noel Santone, 20, of Pleasantville, were taken to the hospital for minor injuries, Simons said. They were treated and released, police said.
The Southern Railroad Company uses the rail to transport stone and other materials for A.E. Stone. No one on the train was injured.
Route 9 between Washington Avenue and the Black Horse Pike was closed for more than an hour as the scene was cleared.
Several summonses will be issued to Guenther, including reckless driving, Simons said.
"There are going to be a lot of summonses pending," he said.
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Published: Thursday, April 03, 2008
PLEASANTVILLE
Summonses issued in tow truck, train crash
Two summonses were issued Wednesday in a accident in which a tow truck was struck by a train at the crossing on Route 9. Five people were injured in the accident.
Police said that Frank Guenther, 22, disregarded the flashing light and train horn when he went through the crossing March 26. The Guenther and Sons tow truck was clipped by the one-car train, causing the truck to go into a spin. The flatbed struck three pedestrians walking near the side entrance to Admiral Nissan. They were all hospitalized. Guenther and his passenger, Noel Santone, 20, were also treated at the hospital and released.
On Wednesday, Officer Herbert Simons said Guenther was issued summonses for failure to stop at a railroad crossing and reckless driving. The tickets were given to Guenther's father, Simons said. Guenther has declined to comment on the accident.
