Norfolk Southern Freight Demolishes 18-Wheeler At Ungated Crossing
(Asheboro, North Carolina – August 10, 2011)
A truck driver from Memphis, TN, attempting to deliver a load of metal drums in unfamiliar territory, was shaken, but miraculously escaped serious injury Wednesday afternoon about 3:00 P.M. when his rig was struck and virtually destroyed by a Norfolk Southern train at the crossing of Spero Road in Asheboro, NC.
“I pulled up, stopped, looked left and right, and there wasn’t anything coming” Truck Driver Michael Blakely recalled.
The crossing is equipped with flashing signals, but has no gates to guard traffic from encounters with trains. The rig was dragged over 200 feet after impact, resulting in the wreckage catching fire. Blakely struggled with his seat belt as the truck was being dragged, and was able to jump from what was left of the cab before it burst into flames.
“If the seat belt hadn’t come apart, I would probably be dead,” commented Blakely.
