CHARLES CITY – A car and train collided this morning in Charles City after the rial crossing arms and lights failed to activate.
At 7:33 AM Tuesday morning, the Charles City police department responded to a train versus passenger car accident on E Street near 13th Avenue. A 1999 Dodge being driven by William Wilson, age 38 of Charles City, was northbound on E Street and struck the side of a Kershaw brush cutter train (a single car) being operated for the Canadian Pacific Railroad as it crossed the street. The train car was derailed due to the accident.
There was one injury reported as a result of the collision, police said. No citations were issued.
According to a statement from police, the lights and arms at the rail crossing did not activate.
Crews were still working at the site later Tuesday.
Total damage is estimated at $7,000.
I think that there is going to be an opening on the CPR, and a lawsuit.
Chances are the job will be to hard for some people.
I’ll bet that got his attention. Next time he will look before crossing the tracks. Something they used to teach in school when people were responsible for their own actions.
As a former railroad employee that is not a train. The vehicle that was struck by the kershaw has right of way over that xing. All that is is a railroad machine and the employee who was operating it has to yeild to all road traffic. it looks like all the were using it for is to cut brush. He is in some for some time off or fired. I ve seen this many times. That person who was injured is going to make a lot of money. Some of those machines are insulated so they won’t set o ff the signals at the xing. Even if it did set off the signal the kershaw does not have right over a car or truck at a xing.
Be that as it may, if the guy had looked it never would have happened.
When something is bigger than you it just makes sense to give way to it. Money does no good if you are dead.
It kind of works both ways the railroad employee was in the wrong and he should of been yielding to the vehicle. plus if the xing lights and gates were not on why would the car have to slow down for the xing. I can a sure this much there was nothing wrong with the crossing lights. Xings are setup to be fail safe so if any thing is wrong the lights and gates will deploy even on a power failure they have battery backup. Having operated that type of equipment for 40 years on the railroad it was more than likely insulated so it wouldn’t set the lights and gates off. Plus I know everybody on here has never had a close call.