KURTZ TOWNSHIP, MN State Police have not yet released the name of the person that was killed in a firey car accident that involved a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train in Kurtz Township, Pennsylvania on Saturday, May 30th, 2015. News sources coming out of the Grand Forks region said that the accident happened at about 9:00 Saturday morning.
One person died when the car they were in was struck by a train at an unspecified crossing just south of Moorhead. Police believe that the car was partially on the tracks when it was struck and dragged a third of a mile. The car erupted into flames as a result of the collision. The news said that the crossing arms were down at the time of the accident, and that one of the crossing arms appeared to be damaged.
One person in the car was pronounced dead by local officials when they arrived. No other injuries were reported.
State Police are still investigating.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
Based on the (fairly sparse) news articles covering this accident, I’ve seen some reports that one of the crossing arms at the railroad tracks was damaged. Now, does this mean that the victim simply plowed through the crossing arm when it hit the train, or was the crossing arm damaged and non-functional before the accident? If the crossing arm was damaged to the point that it was non-functional, does anybody have a clue how long it may have been in this condition? Was the railroad company aware of the issue but let it slide in favor of other, busier crossings that needed attention? Without question, this is one detail that really needs to be put under a microscope, because it could shift the entire paradigm as to how this accident is viewed, and how liability is handled.
— Grossman Law Offices