Fort Worth, Texas Woman Killed at Railroad Crossing
Yesterday, a Fort Worth, Texas woman died when the car she was a passenger in was hit by the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) train just east of downtown. This tragic accident occurred at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Galvez Avenue. According to witnesses, the male driver of the Chrysler sedan tried to go around the lowered crossing gates. The driver was critically injured and a child was taken to Cook Children’s Medical Center with minor injuries. This intersection was the site of another car/train collision last year.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there are approximately 150,000 public grade crossings. Of those, 35,500 have gates, 25,000 have flashing lights and 1,200 have traffic signals, wigwags and bells. Unfortunately, each year approximately 400 deaths occur at railroad crossings, with another 900 injuries. An additional 500 people are killed each year while they are trespassing on railroad property.
This accident, and resulting death and bodily injuries, sounds like it was entirely preventable if the driver had just exercised some more patience and waited for the upcoming train to pass. While it is very tempting to drive around gates, the danger is just too high.
Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
