Caught on the tracks: Semi-trucks stall out on railway in Tye, Abilene 1 day apart
TYE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Traffic in Tye was diverted for hours Wednesday afternoon following an alarming collision between a train and semi-truck trailer around 2:00 p.m. Tye Chief of Police Christopher Selander spoke with KTAB/KRBC about his department’s response to the incident, which thankfully resulted in no injuries or death.
“At about 2:30-ish in the afternoon. The call came out that a state trooper had reported the train crash. I was the first to respond to the scene… It could have been very fatal for the driver of the truck. Obviously when the train went through, it separated the cab from the trailer,” Chief Selander detailed.
WATCH: Train & 18-wheeler crash in Tye
Selander described arriving on scene to find the truck’s trailer wrapped around the front of the train engine, also finding large amounts of hot-mix asphalt, which the trailer was carrying, scattered and pooled around the tracks.
Chief Selander said several other truck drivers attempted to remove the trailer by attaching chains to their vehicle’s cabs, though those attempts were unsuccessful. He also mentioned that the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper on scene did attempt to contact the Union Pacific railroad operator to inform of the incident, but the incoming train was too close to halt.
“The other trucks were trying to help him get off the tracks. Their chains snapped, and about that time is when the railroad crossing signs came down and he was already out of the vehicle… [The train] Was obviously going pretty fast and so it collided with the truck. There just wasn’t enough time,” described Chief Selander.
The semi-truck became stranded after attempting to take a detour down Morgan Street to cross the tracks. Selander said his investigation revealed that the driver of that truck had been waiting for about 30 minutes at the County Road 707 crossing where a westbound train had stopped to make way for the incoming east bound train.
“From our understanding from the investigation, [the driver] claims that somebody waved him to go down to Morgan Street,” Chief Selander reasoned. “However, we’ve reviewed video from the DPS video camera and we did not see anyone in the area that would have been waving anyone to go on. The driver went there and his vehicle high centered on the tracks because that is a no truck area to be driven on and it’s kind of low.”
While Tye PD said the driver should have used better judgement before attempting to pass the high crossing, no charges or citations will be pressed against him. Chief Selander explained that due to the absence of a sign informing truckers not to use the crossing, it’s an honest mistake.
Small divots from the underside of the semi were left on the concrete portion of the crossing, which the chief said would have to be fixed, but it is safe for travel and has been reopened to the public.
A similar situation nearly took place on Abilene roads Thursday afternoon when a semi-truck carrying vehicles bottomed out along the railroad crossing at North 1st and Victoria streets. Abilene police and a Union Pacific Railway worker were able to help that driver vacate the tracks, ahead of a train coming through the area just 30 minutes later.
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