| Posted by Dan I. on June 21, 2020 | |
In my 46 years of truck driving, I have seen similar incidents such as the photo all over the country with a lot being at grade crossings. Here just recently in the last few years, it has gotten worse because of talking or texting on the cell phone and not paying attention to driving. Just Drive and ONLY DRIVE! If you just have to talk or text then pull off the road to do so and not endanger yourself and others doing so. I still remember the young lady some years ago that rammed into the back of my trailer on Interstate 70 just west of Denver at 80 MPH because she had to text while driving. Did not look up and see my trailer in the far right lane with the flashers on crawling up that long grade at 30 MPH. And, still, she is in a wheelchair for life. JUST DON'T TEXT AND TALK WHILE DRIVING! But, no matter what a person says, drivers will continue to do so. Remember this too, if you get stuck on railroad tracks you are no match for a train coming at you. Call the railroad emergency phone number mounted on the either crossing signals or the crossbuck. It is a small blue sign. Call the railroad first and give them the crossing number, then call 911 for further assistance. It is amazing that people call 911 first who in turns calls the railroad. For example, to say the incident is at "Peachtree Road" in Duluth Georgia doesn't mean a thing to the railroad. If you give the railroad the crossing number then they can pinpoint it and stop any trains from coming through. I wish all 911 operators had all grade crossing numbers matched with the particular railroad on their "mapping" that they use when an emergency call comes in. I also wish the traveling public was more educated about the grade crossing number with the emergency number. Again, I have seen too many people, especially impatient drivers, get hurt, maimed, or killed at railroad grade crossings. Stop, look, and listen particularly at railroad grade crossings where there is only crossbucks.
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