Train wreck interrupts SXSW festivities

By Erik Rodriguez
American-Statesman Staff
Monday, March 20, 2000

A Union Pacific train struck an unattended pickup near the former Electric Lounge early Sunday, interrupting South by Southwest performances and temporarily muting festivities.

No one was hurt in the wreck, which occurred after the truck's driver became stuck on the downtown tracks near Bowie Street and Lamar Boulevard about 2 a.m.

The unidentified driver ran onto an outdoor stage during a performance by the Heroine Sheiks, grabbed a microphone and appealed to the audience for help, said Ron Prince, an owner at the Gallery Lombardi Lounge, a temporary South by Southwest venue at the former Electric Lounge.

"Apparently, he was trying to go down this dirt road around Third Street, tried to cross the barricades and got stuck," Prince said.

About 300 people were at the lounge listening to the Heroine Sheiks and another band performing inside. Although some of the audience tried to help, the whistle of the oncoming train quickly stopped them, Prince said.

Paul Minor, a stage manager and South by Southwest performer who attended the concert, ran down the tracks and tried to flag down the train.

"I ran about halfway toward the lake and stopped before the trestle," Minor said. "I had to stop, and I guess I waved it down about 150 feet too late."

In a thunderous crash heard blocks away, the train tore into the pickup and dragged it about 400 feet. Crews cut the bed from the truck, hauling the pieces away on separate wreckers.

Dozens of vehicles were parked nearby, some dangerously close to the tracks. "It's a miracle that nobody else was involved in this," Prince said.

The pickup's driver left before police arrived, Prince and Minor said. Police would not identify the driver Sunday or say whether any citations have been issued.

The train was traveling from Laredo to Fort Worth. The locomotive suffered minor external damage but after an inspection continued north, said Mark Davis, a spokesman for Union Pacific.

Union Pacific officials will investigate and interview crew members, as is standard after any accident, Davis said.

The Electric Lounge, an eclectic venue with a reputation for offbeat performers, closed last April after six years. The Gallery Lombardi Lounge was a last-minute addition to house musical acts during South by Southwest. Its final performances were Saturday night.

You may contact Erik Rodriguez at erodriguez@statesman.com or 445-3851.