KENTUCKY TRUCKER SERIOUSLY INJURED AT DANGEROUS, UNGUARDED CROSSING
(Catlettsburg, Kentucky – May 2, 2012)
An as-yet unidentified truck driver, operating a rig for Allied Transportation Services of Huntington, KY, was airlifted to an area hospital after his 18-wheeler was struck by a CSX freight train near Catlettsburg, Boyd County, KY Wednesday morning about 11:20 A.M.
The semi driver was on a private road which leads into the Calgon Carbon Corporation facility, just off U.S. Highway 23, which closely parallels CSX tracks in that area. The crossing is protected solely by standard, passive railroad crossbuck signs, and has no automatic protective devices such as flashing lights, bells or gates to keep vehicles from encountering oncoming trains.
The crossing also lacks a “stop line”, intended to keep vehicular traffic at least 15 feet back of the railroad tracks, as the truck driver had stopped his truck for the train, but was clipped because he was too close to the tracks.
Witnesses to the accident ran to the victim’s aid, but had to wait for emergency professionals to extricate him from the wreckage.
Responding to the accident were the Kentucky State Police, England Hill Fire Dept. and Big Sandy Fire
