Railroad News
Union Pacific Train Hits Truck Hung Up On Unmarked Humped Crossing
(Hutchinson, Kansas – July 14, 2011)
The unsuspecting driver of a low boy tractor/trailer truck hauling construction equipment became trapped on 56th Street in Hutchinson, KS, and was hit by a Union Pacific freight train around 7:00 A.M. Thursday morning. The signs required by the MUTCD for high profile railroad crossings which pose a risk to low vehicles becoming stuck were not in present or went unmentioned.
The UPRR parallels highly-travelled Kansas Highway 61 through north Reno County. The accident could have been far worse had the truck, which was split in half by the train, lost its load, a 32-ton piece of heavy equipment, or derailed the train. Traffic on K-61 was still tied up late Thursday morning.