CSX Seriously Injures Woman Motorist at Unguarded, Dangerous Crossing
(Auburn, Alabama – June 17, 2011)
An as-yet unidentified 40-year-old female motorist was seriously injured Friday morning just before 9:00 A.M. when her 4-door Buick was hit on the passenger side by a CSX freight train as she attempted to cross CSX Railroad tracks at the dangerous, unguarded crossing of Stage Road in Auburn, AL. Impaled upon the nose of the locomotive, the victim’s car was carried 500 yards beyond the point of impact by the northbound train, which consisted of two locomotives and eight cars, and was headed to Montgomery, AL.
The victim was rushed by ambulance to Auburn University Regional Airport, from where she was airlifted to the Columbus (GA) Regional Medical Center. Stage Road, listed as Old Stage Road by the FRA, has only wooden crossbuck signs to warn motorists of the existence of railroad tracks at that location. However, Auburn Police Chief Tommy Dawson mentioned only the crossing’s lack of gates in his statement to the news media.
