(Cheswick, Pennsylvania – November 4, 2019)
An as yet unidentified male pickup truck operator miraculously survived being struck by a Norfolk Southern freight train in Cheswick, PA about 3:30 pm, EST Monday afternoon. The collision took place at the dangerous and unguarded crossing of Blockdale Street and NS railroad tracks that on an average day carry as many as 30 trains which are allowed to travel at a maximum speed of 40 mph.
Even though Monday’s collision was the ninth to occur at the crossing, there were no active warning devices, such as lights and gates, at this dangerous crossing. It is virtually certain that if this crossing was equipped with lights and gates, this collision and the eight before it would not have happened. Norfolk Southern and Operation Lifesaver all know that lights and gates are the most effective type of protection at railroad crossings. Studies conducted over fifty years ago confirm that lights and gates offer the ability to drastically reduce the number of vehicle/train accidents by as much as 96%.The driver, who was still entrapped in the wreckage, was taken to a local hospital where he was admitted with injuries described as “moderate”. Allegheny Valley Police were investigating the collision.