Nebraska Motorist Killed at Unguarded Union Pacific Crossing
(Potter, Nebraska – April 10, 2018)
A 37-year-old female resident of Potter, NE was killed at about 6:40 A.M. Tuesday morning as she traveled on Cheyenne County Road 91 near U.S. Highway 30 about seven miles east of Potter. Her vehicle was struck by a Union Pacific freight train at the dangerous and unguarded road/rail intersection of UPRR tracks and Road 91.
Christina Spaulding was killed by one of 60 trains that UP operates over its double-tracked main line across the Nebraska Panhandle at a maximum speed of 70 mph. The westbound direction of the train and position of the sun at that time in the morning could have been factors in the tragic accident, but most glaring was the fact that the crossing was not equipped with any protective devices, such as lights and gates, which could have warned the victim of the train’s approach.
The tragedy was being investigated by the Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office and the Nebraska State Patrol.