Re the Chattanooga derailment...
There's nothing the train crew (or the railroad itself) can do when some clueless truck driver stops as did this one. The load was something like 135 feet long -- nearly 3 times the length of a long (53') trailer. Once a collision is seen to be inevitable, all the engineer can do is put the train into emergency. Then it will stop... whenever it comes to a stop. But you're almost certainly going to hit the obstruction first.
The guys on the engine (engineer and conductor) will get nice "settlements" from this from the company. That's the standard procedure for injuries sustained "on the job".
The railroad will in turn sue the trucking outfit, which will promptly declare bankruptcy and go out of business.
