Witnesses say truck driver had little time to react to oncoming train in Springdale

Two men who witnessed a train colliding with a tractor-trailer at a crossing in Springdale on Friday said the truck driver had little time to react to the oncoming train.

Chad Cochran of Springdale and Ken Trim of West Deer said they were leaving work at R.I. Lampus shortly after 4 p.m. They were on Railroad Street at Colfax Street when the flatbed hauling pallets of bricks bound for Lampus came down Colfax, intending to cross the tracks and turn left onto South Railroad Street.

Trim said the truck’s cab was already across the tracks and its trailer was about three-fourths of the way over when, at about the same time, the crossing’s lights came on and its gates came down, hitting the long truck bed.

Trim said the train hit the truck within 10 seconds of the crossing’s warning devices activating.

“From where I was standing, it wasn’t his fault,” Trim said. “As soon as it came down, I was like, ‘Man, he’s going to get hit.’ He had no time to get out of the way.”

Jeff DeGraff, a spokesman with Norfolk Southern, said Saturday that the incident is under investigation.

“As part of the investigation, we will be looking at the data from the crossing signal, as well as video from the cab of the locomotive,” he said.

Springdale police could not be reached for comment.

The damaged equipment at the crossing had been repaired or replaced by early Saturday afternoon.

DeGraff said Norfolk Southern’s crossing gates and lights are programmed to activate a prescribed amount of time before a train comes through to give ample warning to drivers.

“Speaking generally, drivers of large trucks like this one are advised to not enter a crossing unless they are sure they can get their loads all the way across without stopping,” DeGraff said. “We often see trucks get partially through a crossing and have to stop for some reason or stall, and then the crossing warning system is activated by an oncoming train. I cannot say if that was the case in this instance, but that is why we advise drivers that way.”

DeGraff said the train was moving less than 20 mph.

Cochran said the train came to a stop within a short distance, close to the Center Street crossing in front of Lampus’ office.

Cochran and Trim both said the truck driver was initially in a position where he could not make the left turn onto South Railroad Street and, after the crossing gate came down, tried to back up to make the turn.

Trim said he believed the truck was not moving at the time of impact.

Cochran said he could hear the train before the crossing’s gates came down.

“In my belief, it wasn’t the driver’s fault,” Cochran said. “Those gates should have been closed before he attempted to cross the tracks. That train was there in no time.”

After the collision, Trim said the driver jumped out of the truck’s cab. He, and a dog with him, were fine.

“He seemed more upset about his trailer,” Trim said. “I was like, you’re alive — you got that.”