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.
The crossing occurs immediately after a turn in the road, and yet no active warning devices are present at the crossing – no electronic, protective features such as flashing lights or gates. For proper safety, railroad crossings should be outfitted with both. The combination of lights and gates is not guaranteed to prevent railroad crossing accidents, but is nevertheless essential to curbing our nation’s alarmingly high accident rate at rail crossings. If this crossing had been outfitted with protective technologies, then this man likely would not have lost his life.
