Two Mississippi Teens Seriously Injured at Dangerous, Skewed, Unguarded Canadian National Crossing
(Tchula, Mississippi – July 24, 2016)
Two as-yet unidentified teenagers were injured and taken to Yazoo City Hospital after their white Chevrolet was struck by a Canadian National freight train they likely never saw coming. The collision occurred Sunday afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. at the extremely angular crossing of H. Davis Road and CN tracks near Tchula in Holmes County, MS.
This collision marks the fifth collision between highway vehicles at the H. Davis Road/CN intersection. Despite the numerous collisions, the crossing has remained non-signalized. It is virtually certain that if this crossing was equipped with lights and gates, this collision and the four prior to it would not have happened. Both Canadian National 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%.
H. Davis Road and CN rails cross at an odd angle as do the lanes of U.S. Highway 49, which parallels the railroad through that corridor. The crossing briefly becomes Goodhope Road, but after crossing the tracks, angles sharply and continues toward the southwest as H. Davis Road again.
