Man, Woman Die At Dangerous, Unprotected Tennessee Crossing
(Sale Creek, Tennessee — August 22, 2011)
An as-yet unidentified couple were killed early Monday morning about 6:10 A.M. as they tried to walk across Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks at a dangerous, unprotected private farm crossing near Sale Creek, Hamilton County, TN and were struck by a NS freight train.
The crossing is heavily enshrouded by trees and brush and has no electronic (lights, bells or gates) protection, relying solely on passive crossbuck signs to “protect” the crossing. Although trains seldom give warning of their approach to private crossings, Norfolk Southern Spokesperson Susan Terpay said that the engineer sounded both the horn and bell when he saw the man and woman attempting to cross the tracks. Hamilton County Sheriff’s Dept. officers are conducting the investigation into the tragedy.
