Last Friday, a dangerous railroad crossing in Kings Mountain, North Carolina claimed a tractor-trailer loaded with cotton bails as its latest victim when a huge train sliced the 18-wheeler in two near Battleground Avenue and Oak Street in Kings Mountain. Luckily, no one was injured. The video is amazing.
Town officials have long known about the dangers presented by the dangerous railroad crossing according to the Gaston Gazette, but until now had failed to act. The problem is that the railroad tracts are quite high above the level of the road, and the road ramps sharply upward as you approach the tracks. In this collision, the tractor-trailer’s landing gear caught on the tracts, and the truck was stuck.
Although there are signs on both sides of the tracks prohibiting tractor-trailers from using the crossing, there have been 4 such train wrecks at this crossing since 2011, and 14 since 1976. North Carolina DOT has been after city leaders since 2008 to make them close the crossing. City leaders have previously failed to take action. The near fatal collision in this case should cause the city to close the crossing.
The truck driver and his passenger narrowly escaped the speeding locomotive, jumping from the truck just seconds prior to impact. After the crash, city leaders decided to temporarily close the railroad crossing, and have indicated that they plan to hold a public hearing on the issue of permanently closing the crossing. For the City to Ignore such a clear safety hazard for so long amounts to a reckless indifference to the safety of the general public.
Cities and towns in North Carolina, in conjunction with DOT, decide where railroad crossings will occur. If any crossing presents an unusual hazard, such as this one, city leaders have the authority and obligation to close it.
While there is little question that the truck driver failed to act responsibly in this case, given the number of incidents at this particular crossing, it appears that there is more going on here than just inattentive or reckless truck drivers trying to beat the train. Kings Mountain’s city counsel should take a stand for safety and close this dangerous railroad crossing immediately. The City is fortunate no one was injured or killed in this crash because the City would have had a hard time explaining why it failed to act for so long.
Davis Law Group is a small law firm located in Asheville, North Carolina that focuses on representing those seriously injured or killed as a result of the negligence and recklessness of others. We have a special interest and experience in cases involving tractor-trailers and other commercial trucks. Attorney Brian Davis is one of the top truck and car accident attorneys in Asheville.