A couple recent Texas train accidents in Missouri City and Waltrip raises safety concerns for drivers.
Last week Diane Freeman and her husband Moise Freeman were struck by a train in Missouri City, Texas. According to press reports, Moise Freeman had driven around the crossing arms as a westbound train was sitting on the tracks, not moving. But as they began to pass the tracks, another train heading eastbond struck their car. Ms. Freeman was pronounced dead at the scene, while her husband was taken to the hospital for injuries. No charges are likely against the husband, according to press reports, with the police calling the incident a tragic accident.
In mid October, a sixteen-year-old high school student from Waltrip, Texas, was killed after being hit by a train near the trestle on the bridge that crosses the White Oak Bayou in northwest Houston. The teen, Eryc Shelby, was walking to school with friends when the accident occurred. Locals in the area say students often use the railroad bridge as a shortcut to school.
The Missouri City collision was not the first near that town. Two accidents happened in 2014 with one on the same road. There were no lives lost in either accident.
Information from Texas Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit that educates the public on railroad crossing safety, indicates that Texas leads the country in most railroad crossings, about 15,000, and miles of track, more than 10,400 miles.
Texas has the highest number of railroad crossings in the country – around 15,000 – and the most miles of track – 10,425 – said Sally Tingle, executive director of Texas Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit that works to provide free public education about railroad crossing safety.
