Hansen
This might just be the worst case scenario for railroad crossing gates with the best possible outcome: No one was seriously hurt. The video below is caught from a dash camera of the North Salt Lake police in Utah, where a Utah Transit Authority FrontRunner train smashed into a FedEx truck. According to the UTA’s internal investigation they found that the gates, which would normally display flashing lights and be in the down position, was not functioning properly:
In the event of a power outage or lack of signal, crossing gates are programmed to default to the “down and active” position as a safety precaution. Preliminary information indicates the gates were affected by the severe ice and snow conditions at the time and were in the default “down and active” position, as they are programmed. After an employee responded to the location, the gates moved to the up position. The agency has never had an accident like this before, and UTA is investigating why and how it happened to ensure it doesn’t occur again.
[button color=”red” size=”medium” link=”Mustang Seconds Away From Train Crash. What Bystanders Did Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity” icon=”” target=”false”]Another Potential Train Disaster[/button]
There’s an obvious design flaw in the crossing gate’s maintenance mode here, and we hope the transportation department everywhere would take notice of this insane worst case scenario. Luckily, no one was hurt here. Any slight changes in the scenario would have resulted in a much more catastrophic outcome that may have involved multiple vehicles, possible derailment, and lost lives. If this doesn’t make you be extremely cautious when crossing the railroad tracks, I don’t know what will.
(Source: Fox 13 Now)
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