This is Amy Wagenaar from the Historical Society of Michigan with a Michigan history moment. Eleanor Herman stood crammed between two women as the bus rolled down Cardiff Street in Hamtramck on Wednesday, October 28, 1942. Thousands of workers commuted daily to the large factories in the area to support the war effort. And on that day, Eleanor Herman was just one of many packed in the bus like sardines. The bus stopped at a railroad crossing as it was about to move from Hamtramck into Detroit. Flashing red lights alerted the bus driver that a train was passing by. Once the northbound train passed, the bus driver, William Kloss, crossed the tracks unaware of an approaching southbound train. The passengers crowded near the front door of the bus blocked his view of the oncoming locomotive. By the time Kloss saw the train, it was too late. The locomotive tore off the rear of the bus, dragging it for blocks before the train could come to a complete stop. People ran to the scene after hearing the impact and the screams of terror, and they were horrified by what they saw. Sixteen people were dead, their bodies mangled. Many others sustained injuries, both serious and minor. Only four people left the scene unscathed. The bus driver, Eleanor Herman, and the two nuns who also stood at the front of the bus. What was responsible for the terrible accident? The speeding locomotive or the inattentive bus driver? Although both were blamed, no charges were filed. Kloss soon joined the army and left Wayne County. However, another question remained. How could such a tragedy be avoided again in the future? The Hamtramck Common Council wanted to lower the speed limit for trains to 15 miles per hour within the town. Railway companies fought back against the proposed measure. Some argued that faster speeds were actually safer, since a quicker moving train would toss a car aside instead of slowly dragging it and its passengers for blocks. Others pointed to the longer commute times workers would face, calling it unfair and predicting that commuters would turn to cars instead. While the push for a speed limit failed, the intersection received a remedy that we are all familiar with today. New lights and descending gates to block buses and cars from crossing the track as trains approach and pass. This Michigan history moment was brought to you by michiganhistorymagazine.org.