Semi Damaged, Driver Seriously Injured at Dangerous, Unguarded Iowa Crossing
(Mechanicsville, Iowa – November 14, 2011)
A 53-year-old truck driver from Independence, IA was seriously injured by a Union Pacific freight train at the dangerous, unguarded crossing of Charles Avenue and UPRR tracks just outside of Mechanicsville, IA Monday morning just after 9:00 A.M.
The unidentified driver, who works for Sejkora Farms Trucking of Marion, IA, was only a quarter mile from his destination, the Ken Jilovec farm, where he was to pick up a load of grain. The crossing, which is of double-tracked UPRR main line, is guarded only with railroad crossbucks and highway “yield” signs rather than any electronic (lights, bells or gates) protective devices, which would probably have prevented the accident.
The truck’s tractor was heavily damaged from the train’s glancing blow, and the seriously injured driver of the 18-wheeler was airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinic in Iowa City, IA.
