APRIL 8, 2015
KINGSPORT, TENNESSEE
Police are warning drivers to call 911 if you get stuck on
railroad tracks. They say a truck driver didn’t do that at 1am Wednesday, and
caused a train crash.
Kingsport Police say a Freightliner tractor trailer was
traveling south on Lilac Street between Fort Robinson Drive and Netherland Inn
Road. That’s when the driver “chose to disregard the sign that clearly
indicated a risk of high-centering his trailer” and attempted to cross the
railroad tracks.
The trailer got hung-up on the raised railroad bed. The
driver didn’t call 911. Instead, he tried to back up and an eastbound CSX train
struck the tractor trailer.
That driver, 33-year-old William Chester French, Jr., of
Atlanta, saw the approaching train and got out of the way. His truck got pushed
into the railroad crossing signal, causing significant damage to the gate. The
trailer was pushed about 1,000 feet down the tracks. No one on board the train
was injured.
French was cited for failure to obey a traffic control
device.
Authorities say, 911 dispatchers can notify railroad
officials, who can temporarily suspend railway traffic until the tracks can be
cleared.
If you get stuck, do not panic, just dial 911. It is the smartest thing you can do.