A private crossing in Springfield, MO was the location of another railroad crossing fatality earlier today. A young man pulled up to the crossing in his van, was hit by an oncoming BNSF train, and died when his van burst into flames.

Small town Sutersville, PA, with a population fewer than 600, has seen a heavy dosage of railroad crossing tragedies. The past 18 months have seen two tragic deaths and three other critical accidents which nearly resulted in death. The result, unsurprisingly, is a town eagerly fighting to get their railroad crossings protected. Nearby, the town of West Newton with a population of roughly 2,700 has not seen tragedies like this in some time. Sutersville residents point out that West Newton's crossings are outfitted with safety equipment - lights and gates.

Two granddaughters in Terre Haute, IN lost their grandmother last Friday to a train accident at an ungated crossing. The older of the sisters, at 11, was released from ICU rapidly, while the younger at 7 is still in intensive care. The street, Feree Drive, has three sets of unguarded tracks, including the crossing at which the tragic accident occurred.