Second Summer Collision at Railroad Crossing in Goose Creek
As is the case with many South Carolina injury lawyer blog posts, there are often new incidents that bear a striking similarity to older entries, and this one is no different. Earlier this summer there were a couple entries posted concerning fatal auto and truck accidents involved with trains. And in today's Post and Courier there was an article reporting on another of these devastating accidents, however, by some miraculous means, this incident did not take any lives.
This past weekend, more specifically Saturday night around 11:30 p.m., a car sitting on the railroad tracks at U.S. Highway 52 and Red Bank Road was struck by a train. The driver of the vehicle was ejected from car and transported to Medical University Hospital for treatment of a head injury. Fortunately for the driver, the injury was reported to be non-life-threatening. According to Goose Creek Police, the driver of the vehicle was charged with blocking a railroad crossing. At this same railroad crossing on May 20, a car stopped on the tracks for a funeral procession and was hit by an oncoming train. That driver was also ticketed for obstructing a railroad crossing.
Both of these drivers beat the odds when it comes to train on automobile collisions. As your railroad accident attorneys at Howell and Christmas, LLC have cited in an earlier entry this summer, Troopers from the Louisiana State Police say that a train can drag an automobile at least a mile down the track, and keeping in mind the weight of a train, it is highly unlikely for an individual to survive a crash. The two drivers involved in these two Goose Creek incidents should be thankful they were able to receive their tickets for obstructing a railroad crossing.
As reported by today's Post and Courier, there were three other vehicles involved in the most recent accident, in addition to the Jeep that bore the brunt force from the oncoming train. According to witness reports, after the Jeep was initially struck by the train, it collided with the Oldsmobile in front of it (causing major damage), the Olds' then hit a Ford Focus, which then hit a Toyota Highlander. The Highlander was the first car in line at the light that sits at the intersection of Highway 52 and Red Bank Road. One witness said that despite repeated honks in an effort to alert the driver of the Highlander that the light was green and a train oncoming, the Toyota did not move. No charges have been filed against the driver of the Highlander or the two other vehicles involved. All the vehicles' occupants were transported to area hospitals for medical evaluations.
It is interesting, and admittedly a bit humorous in the midst of such a horrible accident, that the Post and Courier's report notes that the train was not damaged in the incident. It is rare in instances like these that the locomotive be the loser in the battle against automobile, and although it has been mentioned earlier, it is even less common that a driver, or passenger, survive the immense impact sustained after being within a vehicle turned pummeled tin can by a train.
Like many authorities, officials, and experts before them, the Goose Creek Police Department urges the public to follow a simple, yet effective safety precaution when approaching a railroad crossing, "Do not cross over the tracks unless you clearly have room to safely cross over them." Even with seemingly simple messages such as this coming from those who see the carnage left by these accidents on an almost regular basis, railroad safety advocates say it is not uncommon for people to underestimate the serious threat of oncoming trains, hence why some try to "beat" trains by going around railroad crossing arms. Due to the size of trains it is difficult to gain an accurate perception of how fast trains are coming, and that is often the underestimation, which leads to serious injuries and deaths.
More Blog Posts: Your Charleston Personal Injury Attorneys Talk Train-Truck Accidents, Train Strikes U.S. Border Patrol SUV, Frequency of Train Accidents in Louisiana Heighten Public Safety Concerns
