(Shepherdsville, Kentucky – March 29, 2016)
On Tuesday morning at about 8:5 A.M. a 19-year-old Mt. Washington, KY man became the first fatality to occur at the non-gated crossing of busy CSX railroad tracks and East Blue Lick Road in Shepherdsville, KY, a location where seven previous accidents had resulted in a single non-fatal injury.
Zavier Froeber, was headed north on Coral Ridge Road, which parallels CSX tracks, when he made a right turn onto East Blue Lick Road, where he immediately encountered the CSX crossing and train.
It was not known if the flashing lights at the crossing were properly operating. According to Federal Railroad Administration records, a daily average of 18 trains pass at a maximum allowable speed of 60 mph. Regardless of whether the lights were functioning, the crossing lacked automatic gates, which is an important safety device. The addition of automatic gates has been proven to reduce accidents by over two-thirds when they are installed at crossings with only flashing lights.
Hillview, KY Police were investigating the tragic collision due to its location on the Shepherdsville/Hillview city line in Bullitt County.
