Texas Motorist Killed at Dangerous, Unguarded BNSF Crossing in New Mexico
(Taiban, New Mexico – September 4, 2016)
An unsuspecting Austin, TX woman driving a pickup truck northbound near Taiban, NM was killed by a westbound BNSF freight train at the non-signalized crossing of Roosevelt Road AV and the double-tracked BNSF railroad tracks. The collision occurred last Monday at about 7:30 A.M., MDT. The crossing carries a daily average of 90 BNSF trains through northern Roosevelt County, near Taiban, NM, east of Fort Sumter, at a maximum allowable speed of 70 mph.
Andrea Grimm, 54, who was visiting in the area, probably never was aware of the oncoming train as she attempted to cross over the railroad tracks. As previously stated, the crossing lacks any form of active warning devices, such as lights and gates. It is virtually certain that if this crossing was equipped with lights and gates, this collision would not have happened. Both BNSF and Operation Lifesaver know that lights and gates are the most effective type of protection at railroad crossings. Studies that have been 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%.
