Georgia Motorist Hospitalized After Train Collision at Unguarded CSX Crossing
(Iron City, Georgia – June 27, 2024)
A motorist was injured last Thursday evening in Southwest Georgia when a CSX freight train struck the passenger side of their Chevrolet Colorado truck bed. The collision occurred at a CSX owned and operated, unguarded, railroad crossing near Dunham Street and Hagen Still Road.
The identity of the injured driver has yet to be released but according to reports by Georgia State Patrol, the driver was headed south on Hagen Still Road when they attempted to cross the tracks and were struck by a CSX train that had been travelling eastbound towards Iron City. First responders reported that the driver was conscious and was flown to a Tallahassee hospital for treatment. According to the Georgia State Patrol the injured driver is also suspected to have been under the influence, at the time of the collision.
As mentioned, the CSX railroad crossing where this collision occurred is unprotected by any active warning devices, such as lights and gates, to warn motorists of oncoming trains. The crossing sees on average one train a day travelling over the crossing at a typical speed of 40 mph. And while one train a day is not much, the addition of lights and gates assuredly could have helped in preventing this collision and would better protect the motoring public. Numerous studies conducted over the years have confirmed that lights and gates can radically reduce the number of vehicle/train collisions by as much as 96%.
The Georgia State Patrol are continuing to investigate this incident.
