Train Hits Truck Carrying Hundreds of Tires in Louisiana

Jack Phillips
8/14/2018
Updated:
8/14/2018
A truck carrying hundreds of tires was smashed by a train in Slidell, Louisiana, according to the Slidell Police Department.

In a Facebook post and video on Aug. 13, the police department stated that the “early morning train crash in Slidell caused roadways to be shut down for several hours.”

“Miraculously, no one was seriously injured in the crash,” police said.

The driver of the truck, 43-year-old Lee Henderson Jr., stopped at a red light before the rear of his vehicle got stopped on the train tracks. Then, a freight train operated by Norfolk Southern approached the intersection, but Henderson wasn’t able to move in time.

“The momentum of the train caused the truck to spin, which then struck a 2001 Toyota Corolla. The driver and passenger of the truck had minor injuries. The driver of the Toyota Corolla was uninjured,” the office stated.

Henderson was cited by police for the crash.

“The crash caused significant damage to the locomotive of the train, which had multiple intersections shut down for several hours. A replacement locomotive was sent in this afternoon to haul off the crippled train, as other crews picked up the tires and hauled off the wrecked truck. Around 1:00 p.m., the crash was cleared and all intersections were opened,” the office said.

The office added: “Henderson was listed at fault in the crash, and was cited for L.R.S. 32:171, Failure to Obey Signal to an Approaching Train. The law indicates that when there is clearly a visible electric or mechanical signal, any vehicle crossing a railroad crossing must stop within fifteen feet of the track, on either side. A vehicle may not proceed over the tracks until they can safely do so.”

‘Stop. Trains Can’t’

According to roadside assistance firm AAA, in the state of Louisiana, “Any person driving a motor vehicle that approaches a railroad crossing must stop between 15 and 50 feet of the railroad crossing if 1 of the following occurs: (1) a clearly visible signal device gives warning of the approach of a railroad train; (2) a crossing gate is lowered, or a human flagman stops traffic; (3) a fast moving railroad train approaching within approximately 900 feet of the highway crossing emits a signal; (4) an approaching train is plainly visible and is in hazardous proximity to such crossing; and (5) a stop signal is at the railroad grade crossing.”

Meanwhile, “Any motor vehicle carrying passengers for hire, school buses, and any vehicle carrying hazardous material must stop between 15 and 50 feet of all railroad crossings and then proceed when it is safe to do so,” the AAA said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation in recent years launched an ad campaign to increase public awareness about train crossings.

“Although accidents at railroad crossings are an old problem, the problem is easily avoidable. This ad is the latest in a three-year, focused effort to reverse the uptick in railroad crossing fatalities,” the agency said.

The slogan is: “Stop. Trains can’t.”

It said that between 2012 and 2016, 1,225 people died while trying to cross railroad tracks. In 2016, there were 2,041 railroad crossing incidents, and also in 2016, 264 people died while trying to cross the tracks, according to the agency.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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