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Another Train Collision Takes A Life

By Eddie Farah

Last month, a high school football hero died when he was struck by a CSX train in Clay County, outside of Jacksonville.

Now another person was killed this morning when a freight train struck their car Friday morning.

It happened just before 11 a.m. The person, who has not been identified, was the only occupant in the vehicle. Investigators say he or she was driving just off Phillips Highway and tried to drive around the railroad crossing arm that is intended to keep you out of harm's way!

"According to witnesses, a driver of an automobile went around the downed crossing arms here at the intersection of the railroad tracks. At the time, the train came into the intersection. The automobile was struck. Fire and rescue pronounced the driver of the automobile deceased here at the scene," said Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Sgt. R.A. Harville.

Just last month, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) completed a National Rail Safety Action Plan, which was revised after several major train accidents a few years ago.

The plan tries to reduce the two leading causes of train accidents--human factors, such as driving around the tracks, and track flaws.

The revised safety plan includes, among other things, enhanced highway-rail grade crossing safety.

About 900 deaths occur every year at the highway-rail grade crossings and along railroad rights-of-way. Education appears to be one of the keys to safety - Education, Enforcement, and Engineering.

The FRA reports that improvements have helped reduce the number of fatalities at highway-rail crossings by 42 percent since 1994.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Full post as published by Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer on June 20, 2008 (boomark / email).