(South Fulton, Tennessee – September 26, 2017)
A 59-year-old FedEx driver was killed at a railroad crossing just outside of South Fulton, TN at about 10:30 A.M. Tuesday morning. The collision occurred with a West Tennessee Railroad freight train at the dangerous, unguarded and tree foliage obscured crossing of WTRR tracks and Tom Counce Road (also known as Country Club Road).
Dorothy Brooker of Martin, TN was driving the FedEx truck westbound when she was struck by a northbound train hauling 28 freight cars. She approached the tree-enshrouded crossing which did not have any protective devices, such as lights and gates, and doubtfully was ever aware of the train until it was too late. Four daily WTRR trains cross there at maximum allowable speeds of 25 mph (even though railfan-shot film footage on Facebook of a WTRR train travelling across the deadly crossing appeared to record a much higher speed).
The victim was first transported to Tennova Healthcare Volunteer Hospital, but was then airlifted to a second, undisclosed hospital, where she died.
Although the Jackson, TN-headquartered, 230-mile-long WTRR which serves the states of Kentucky and Mississippi in addition to Tennessee,, the freight train involved in Tuesday’s tragedy appeared to be one owned by massive short line railroad conglomerate Gennessee & Wyoming Company.
The crossing had been the site of one previous, non-injury accident. The dangerous crossing is also crossed by a pair of Obion County school buses on school days.