On February 21, the Burleson Traffic Detail along with the City marshal’s office monitored the Alsbury Boulevard railroad crossing to observe whether motorists were stopping at the blinking red light
The Burleson Police Department, the Union Pacific Railroad and Special Agent Roger Rhoderick were also on the scene and issued 20 written warnings within the scope of three hours. Of these 20 people 12 were men and 8 were women. Four pedestrians were also admonished for crossing in the wrong place – two men and two women. The surveillance ended when a vehicle hit the crossing gate and damaged it.
Trying to outrun a train is growing more frequent and can lead to severe injury or death. In October of 2012 a sports utility vehicle hit the train on Renfro St, the driver reporting that the sun coming up obstructed his vision. Luckily the driver was taken to the hospital and his injuries were not severe.
In May of 2009, a 23 year old male was killed at the Alsbury St Crossing. The young man in a Jeep was trying to pass a vehicle that had stopped at the tracks when the crossing arms had come down. The train hit the left side of the jeep and caused the jeep to roll a few times. The driver and passenger were not wearing seat belts although the air bags did deploy.
It is so vitally important to stop for a railroad train when the light blinks red and the crossing arms come down. The white line on the road is the designated stopping line and you must be 30 feet from the tracks in both directions. It takes a train at least a mile to stop and it is impossible to guess how long that will take. You must wait until the light stops blinking and the arms go back up before crossing the tracks.
Thanks to http://cityburlesontx. com and http://pegasusnews.com for the information.
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