Minor mess... when will truck drivers learn to get all the way over the rails? http://news.yahoo.com/train-derails-ne-louisiana-causing-gas-leak-230014451.html
It actually seems worse than that - more a point of being aware of the clearances of your equipment (in this case, it is reported that a low-boy trailer got stuck on the crossing) and better judgement of your ability to clear obstacles. Hope the conductor recovers quickly...
My sympathies go out to the train crew. Some of the comments post-article aren't exactly intelligent. In no way is the RR to blame. They merely give an easement. It's up to locals to properly construct and maintain the roadway approaches, so all vehicles can safely use the easement. And as Mike has noted, for vehicle operators to know their equipment.
It seem this is one of the most ignored signs out there. The crossing where this one is posted gets a truck hung on it every few weeks. Fortunately they usually get the truck off before a train comes. Every couple years they have a smash up. The county does not seem to be in a big hurry to fix it. The railroad right of way is parallel and right next to US Highway 90A that would probably have to be raised three or more feet to avoid the steep drop coming off the crossing on the farm road.
If they posted it closed to all trucks, in flashing neon lights, I'd bet the rate would barely drop, if at all. I never pulled a low boy. But did rub landing gear a time or two. Makes an interesting noise... Wow. Long ago, and far away.
Every 5-7 years CSX rehabs the x-ings in our area, which includes raising the roadbed 3-6 inches on city streets. Unfortunately the street contours are rarely raised to compensate. There is one street, a municipal boundary line jointly maintained by two cities and the county, whose x-ing approach rise has evolved over the years to become a candidate for a vehicle training obstacle course. Needless to say, nothing larger than 26' rigid bodied trucks are permitted on that street while the three responsible agencies point fingers of accusation.....Whatever
Here's the video of the accident this couple filmed(beware this is a site that has some inappropriate content past this video): http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/84314330/
AOL's feed has an article with the video as well. Interesting to see the difference in the commentary - in that article, the folks filming were taken to task repeatedly (stop filming and call 911) as well as the pedestrian (hey, how about try to help). Sadly, I can understand some of this, as far too often people would rather gawk or video than try checking possible victims.
Some people react by doing a lot of (completely useless!) yelling and screaming, ordering that something should be done! But what? The train did not immediately stop, so keeping distance away until then is smart. What if cars started coming off and into that street? The truck driver got out, and the engine was stopped quite some distance away. There wouldn't be much to do right at the scene itself. The crossing was blocked, so vehicle traffic was not going to be an issue. I've seen people who witness such an event experience a bit of shock themselves, and are simply unable to react. There could even be a bit of paranoia, fearing legalities of getting involved in our ridiculously litigious society. Try to help and someone thinks you erred, next thing you know, you're in court for trying to do the right thing....
