Indiana Motorist Killed by Second, Hidden Train After Waiting for First Train at Dangerous, Unguarded CSX Crossing
(Randolph County, Indiana – September 9, 2023)
An Indiana motorist was killed yesterday after his truck was struck by a freight train at a double-tracked CSX Transportation crossing in Randolph County, Indiana. The collision occurred at the railroad crossing where the two mainline CSX tracks cross County Road 400E.
According to Radolph County police, the driver Tristan Fullenkamp of St. Henry, was driving a 2004 Ford F-150 when it stopped at the railroad crossing so a train headed eastbound could pass. After the eastbound train passed, he attempted to cross the tracks and was suddenly struck by an obscured westbound train on an adjacent set of tracks. Fullenkamp was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
The crossing where this collision occurred accommodates a daily average of twelve trains at typical speeds of 60 mph. The crossing also has two sets of main line railroad tracks. Despite the two mainline tracks, high speed train operations, and frequent train usage, the crossing does not have any active warning devices, such as lights and gates. It is virtually certain that the addition of lights and gates could have prevented this tragedy. 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 collisions by as much as 96%.
