Husband and Wife Narrowly Escape Injury or Death at Kansas Crossing
(Manhattan, Kansas – August 6, 2013)
Early Tuesday morning, an unfortunately common situation had all of the recipes for a tragic event in Manhattan, KS. Fortunately, a husband and wife were thankful that only their car was totally destroyed in an early morning collision with a Union Pacific train.
At about 2:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, Fatemeh Borani and Milah Saghebsar were traveling northbound on 16th Street. As they were traversing a railroad crossing at 16th Street and Fair Lane the front wheel of their 2002 Ford Mustang became stuck in the railroad tracks. The couple kept the engine running as they got out of the vehicle and attempted to push, and then lift, the vehicle over the track. Their attempts were unsuccessful but, they saw an oncoming westbound Union Pacific train. The couple got clear of the crossing, but the train struck their Mustang.
Uneven, unmaintained, or rough railroad crossing surfaces have been a factor in numerous other railroad crossing incidents. Fortunately, unlike similar incidents, this incident ended without the tragic loss of life.