Welcome to Kenmare

Feature Stories (Vol. 110 No. 10--3/05/2008)

Morning fog hides train from traffic at crossing

By Caroline Downs

A fresh layer of wet, icy snow coupled with dense fog Thursday morning caused problems for drivers at the train crossing on U.S. Highway 52, approximately 1-1/2 miles north of Kenmare.

Two SUVs were totalled when they hit a train operated by Northern Plains Railroad. A third stopped car was also totalled when it was hit by one of the SUVs. Several vehicles slid into the ditch trying to avoid a collision. The train came to a stop clear of the accident scene.

Somehow, no drivers or passengers were seriously hurt in the incident, although Kenmare Ambulance did transport individuals to Kenmare Community Hospital to be examined and treated for minor injuries.

According to Kenmare volunteer firefighter Ron Jensen, who responded when the department was called at 9 am Thursday, one car apparently tried to stop at the south side of the train crossing but slid into an eastbound train.

Rachel Wiedmer of Kenmare was driving north in her Jeep Grand Cherokee when she approached the crossing. "There was one vehicle in front of me and another in the ditch," she said, adding the roadway had not been sanded yet that morning.

Wiedmer had already slowed down for the crossing, but steered toward the left to avoid hitting either of the other vehicles. Her Jeep skidded on the ice and hit the train, but she walked away from the accident. Later, she went to the hospital to be checked for injuries, but sustained only bruises and sore muscles. Emergency personnel at the scene of the accident told her she was fortunate to be alive.

Meanwhile, a similar scenario took place on the north side of the tracks. Chelsey Zietz, Kenmare, was traveling south in a 2003 Pontiac Bonneville when she approached the crossing in the fog. She noted Tom Herman’s vehicle parked on an approach with its lights flashing. Two other cars were already in the ditch on the west side of the highway and one on the east side. Zietz braked and pulled over to the right shoulder.

"I looked in the mirror and saw another car coming," she said. "It was sliding." The vehicle, a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by Samantha Blomquist of Kenmare, hit the left rear corner of Zietz’s car, then slid into the moving train.

The Bonneville was pushed partially into the ditch. Zietz said she backed the car further into the ditch to avoid being hit by any other oncoming traffic.

Blomquist was travelling with her three-year-old and five-year-old children in the back seat. "I came around the corner and saw the lights flashing on the crossing," she said, adding she knew she had to react quickly because visibility was so poor. "I told my kids, ‘Hang on, guys, we’re going for a ride.’"

She applied her brakes, but started fishtailing. She attempted to reach the ditch, but hit Zietz’s car instead. "I knew when I hit her, I was going to hit the train," Blomquist said. "I was just hoping not to be drug along the tracks."

The impact with Zietz’s car slowed Blomquist’s vehicle as it continued toward the railroad tracks. After crashing into the train, the Trailblazer came to rest with its motor still running. Blomquist crawled into the back seat to check on her children, and noted that the airbags never deployed in the Trailblazer. A stranger approached and helped them leave the vehicle, taking them to his car until the ambulance arrived.

Zietz, Blomquist and Blomquist’s two children were transported to the hospital for examination and released that morning. "We just had the normal bumps and bruises," Blomquist said. "I got a couple of black eyes out of the deal, but I’m glad the kids were fine. That’s all I care about."

The vehicles driven by Zietz and Blomquist were both totalled in the incident.

Despite the weather conditions, traffic on the highway was busy with semi-trailer trucks hauling cargo and rural residents driving to work and school. Zietz placed the time of her accident between 8:20 and 8:27 am.

Officers with the North Dakota Highway Patrol and the Kenmare Police Department responded to the situation, as did Bowbells Rescue with the "Jaws of Life" equipment. All three Kenmare Fire Department units were on the scene, with 12 volunteer firefighters.

"Our major role was traffic control, more than anything," said Kenmare Fire Chief Cameron Bartuska. "The fog was a major problem."

Members of the Kenmare Fire Department established three locations to slow traffic on the south side of the crossing, beginning back at the Cenex C-Store in Kenmare. Two locations were set up on the north side of the incident. The firefighters stayed busy for about two hours, and several used their private vehicles at the traffic checkpoints.

"For the fire department, the...training we had during last spring’s training exercise came into play," Jensen said. "We used our radio communications." He praised the assistance of the Kenmare Police Department, which used both patrol cars as pilot vehicles to escort a single lane of traffic through the crash site until the scene was cleared.

"It’s amazing how fast a plan of action was put into effect," said Chuck Leet, Kenmare Fire Department secretary. "This is not something you do every day, so it was good to see it work."

"All in all, it generally went pretty well," said Bartuska. "If one of those vehicles had been a semi, it would have been a whole different story."

Jensen agreed. "Everyone was very, very lucky," he said. "The visibility was near zero with the fog. We were set up for a bad disaster."