Buffalo Chip to the Orem, Utah man who thought he could cross railroad tracks anywhere with his muscular Ford Explorer.
The man was trying to go fishing near 2000 N. West Geneva Road, but high-centered on a set of railroad tracks. After getting stuck, he noticed a train bearing down on him.
He quickly abandoned ship after turning on the four-way flashers in a feeble attempt to warn the engineer to stop the train. The good news is the train was on the adjoining set of tracks and didn’t hit the car directly. The bad news is the Explorer was sideswiped – repeatedly – by passing train cars.
Fishing license: $16. Damage to car from passing train: $3,000. Having one heck of a story to tell about your fishing trip: Priceless. - The Provo Daily Herald
Had a similar thing happen here, but it involved a young man impatient with a blocked crossing who though his Ford Explorer could cross the tracks. Fortunately there was no collision, although I did hear the hogger on the radio - “Darndest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I’ll never forget the time I was at work, waiting to get out with my car at County Line (Proviso-savvy folks will know; it’s otherwise unimportant). This was back in pre-UP, pre-Global 2 days, and I probably had to use County Line because the Lake Street entrance was flooded. I was waiting for a switching move to clear the crossing when a special agent’s car came roaring around me. I have no idea what the emergency was, but we had a new crisis when he missed the crossing and wound up between the rails!
I just waited for the move to clear and left, shaking my head as I drove by.
It’s not like they’re immune to the “in a hurry, gotta get there” syndrome, and not just when they are responding to an incident.
Several Cardinal, Ontario firefighters died a number of years ago when they drove around the gates and tail end of one train only to be hit by one going the other direction…
In another grade crossing thread a while back someone mentioned that the first vehicle caught by a new “grade crossing camera” was a patrol car…