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Farm equipment collides with Illini, kills driver CORRECTED
It’s a shame that people think that trains can stop on a dime or can swerve out of the way. When will they ever learn?
It is highly likely that the farmer knew the crossing well and has crossed over it many times. A self propelled spray rig is a delicate piece of machinery that probably had to proceed slowly, in part because of the three wheel configuration which could make it tricky to navigate over a narrow and possibly steep private crossing. Demonizing the operator by suggesting he was on the phone, etc. or did not understand trains is certainly not called for without more information on the accident. Perhaps it was simply a situation that was difficult to avoid, especially with a fast train.
Get off the phone. Turn the radio down. Look, Listen & Live.
I cannot speak for other states or for that matter other divisions on the railway. For the Twin Cities Division of the BNSF Railway, our private crossings are equipped with a dual Stop and RR crossing signs. Doesn’t mean a distracted driver will obey and I have whistled on more than one occasion to catch the attention of a distracted driver approaching his/her private crossing.
Private crossings are deadly. Unfortunately, they are exempt in most cases from installing any safety devices, let alone a stop sign or yield sign at the tracks.