Cars and trucks stuck on grade crossings are one of the most significant causes of wrecks between trains and vehicles. We see these crossing accidents on a regular basis in Georgia.
Recently, a train hit a tractor-trailer that was stuck on a railroad crossing in Henry County in Georgia.
Although the train driver was unable to stop in time the trucker escaped and no injuries were reported in the Locus Grove wreck, reported the Henry Herald.
Maj. Mike Ireland of Henry County Police told the media, a tractor-trailer was stuck on the railroad crossing at Ga. Highway 42 and Bowden Street. The driver was not able to get the rig off the tracks in time. However, the driver escaped from the vehicle before the train approached.
No injuries were reported in the wreck. The tractor-trailer was carrying candy, which spilled onto the roadway and the tracks at the time of the crash.
Railroad crossing accidents are relatively common
The truck driver who works for Yopo Transport was later cited for failure to obey a traffic signal, reported the Henry Herald.
The Department of Transportation will conduct its own investigation to determine if the truck was working correctly at the time of the crash.
There was a mere three-minute window from the time the truck got stuck to the moment of impact, according to news reports.
How Common Are Railroad Crossing Accidents?
A vehicle and a train collide every 90 minutes in the United States. Most of these crashes occur on grade crossings.
According to Operation Lifesaver, Georgia has the 14th worst record for fatal crossing crashes in the United States.
In 2015, six people died on rail crossings in Georgia. California has the worst record for fatal crossing accidents. In all, 52 people died in that state in 2015
One of the worst grade crossing accidents in recent years occurred near Reno, Nevada in 2011 when a tractor-trailer hit and detailed an Amtrak train causing a fiery wreck.
A federal jury later awarded Amtrak and Union Pacific Railroad $4.7 million in a negligence lawsuit brought against a trucking company. The wreck led to the deaths of six people.
The investigation revealed the trucker had a long history of speeding tickets. He was driving a truck with defective brakes. Attorneys for the rail companies showed the court camera footage that they claimed proved the trucker ignored flashing lights, a gate and warning whistles from the train.
The trucking company claimed that gates and lights were malfunctioning and that the railroads destroyed evidence.
A railroad can be held liable over a poorly designed or a malfunctioning crossing. A trucker who causes an accident on a grade crossing may be sued by injured train passengers or the families of the deceased.
To find out more about trucking accidents please call the Law Office of Michael West at (404) 913-1529 or contact us here.