Illinois delivery truck driver hit at unguarded railroad crossing
On behalf of Jeffrey Frederick of Frederick & Hagle posted in Train Accidents on Wednesday, January 29, 2014.
Many people know how much a train crossing at an intersection can delay a commute. Trains could still be considered a rather common form of transport, and many of the intersections have gates, flashing lights and other signals to notify drivers that a train is approaching. When a vehicle sees these indicators, they often stop to wait for the train to pass. If a vehicle approaches an unguarded railroad crossing, the driver may fail to notice an oncoming train and an accident could occur.
Such circumstances could have contributed to a fatal train accident in Illinois. A collision occurred when a delivery truck was reportedly traveling east when it crossed in front of a train heading south, and the crash caused the truck driver to be thrown from the vehicle. The driver suffered fatal injuries as a result of the accident and was reported as having died at the site of the incident.
The engineer of the train claims that the truck driver did not appear to hear the train whistle or see the train approaching. It was mentioned, however, that the particular intersection did not have any railroad crossing indicators such as a gate or lights. It is unclear whether these factors could have played a role in the accident taking place.
Because the accident at the unguarded railroad crossing resulted in a fatality, it is of the utmost importance that authorities conduct a thorough investigation. While the investigation into the event goes on, the family of the victim may wish to look into their options for taking legal action against the parties deemed to have been at fault for the accident. If the delivery truck driver is not deemed at fault, the family may wish to file a wrongful death claim against the responsible parties in order to seek compensation for damages permitted under Illinois law.
Source: stltoday.com, Smithton man killed when train hits truck in Freeburg, No author, Jan. 25, 2014
