Amtrak Crash Deaths Ruled Accidental

KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) -- A coroner's inquest jury deliberated only 20 minutes before ruling that the deaths of 11 people in the crash of an Amtrak train near Bourbonnais, Ill., were an accident.

Amtrak's City of New Orleans train slammed into a steel-laden truck March 15, killing 11 people aboard the train and injuring more than 100.

The inquest panel heard testimony May 13 from two Bourbonnais police officers and the town's fire chief. All discussed the aftermath of the crash.

John R. Stokes, the driver of the truck, attended the hearing but declined to testify, pleading the Fifth Amendment, which protects against self-incrimination.

The coroner's jury could have found that the deaths were homicides, which could have meant trouble for Stokes, though prosecutors investigating the crash are not bound by the jurors' findings.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the crossing gates malfunctioned or Stokes tried to zigzag around them. No one has been charged with wrongdoing in the accident.

Stokes -- who was driving on a probationary permit because of previous traffic violations -- will soon lose his commercial driver license for 60 days due to a ticket unrelated to the crash (4-5, p. 4). The suspension goes into effect June 1.

Stokes has been ticketed at least seven times for moving violations since 1993, according to records in Indiana and several northeastern Illinois counties.

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