Idaho Semi Truck Driver is the Second Killed at Dangerous, Unguarded Union Pacific Crossing
(Caldwell, Idaho – December 7, 2017)
A 61-year-old Nampa, ID driver of a semi trailer truck hauling a gravel trailer became the second fatality to be suffered at the dangerous and unguarded Union Pacific rail crossing of Look Lane in Caldwell, ID. The collision which took the driver’s life occurred at about 10:00 A.M., MST Thursday morning.
It is unclear if Floyd C. Gibson, the victim, ever saw the eastbound train approaching as he drove the 1997 Kenworth tractor/trailer rig southbound on Look Lane. The crossing accommodates a daily average of 20 UPRR trains that cross there at speeds as high as 70 mph. However, there are no active warning devices, such as lights and gates, to warn motorists of these high speed trains. It is virtually certain that if this crossing was protected by active warning devices, this collision would not have occurred. Both Union Pacific and Operation Lifesaver know that lights and gates are the most effective type of protection at railroad crossings. Studies that have been conducted over fifty years ago confirm that lights and gates offer the ability to drastically reduce the number of vehicle/train accidents by as much as 96%.
Gibson’s death was the second to occur at the road/rail intersection which has now been the site of four collisions between UP trains and motor vehicles.
