AAA reminds drivers to be safe near railroad crossings

JEMISON, Ala. (WBRC) - Police are investigating a deadly train crash that happened in Jemison Monday night.

The Chilton County Coroner’s Office confirmed that 40-year-old Lori Ann Parker died on the scene.

Another woman and three children were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

This accident reminds of us safety at all railroad crossings.

AAA has some important reminders to keep you and your family safe at railroad crossings.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said nearly 6,000 train vs. car crashes happen in the U.S. each year and most of them happen at railroad crossings.

These accidents account for around 600 deaths and injure about 2,300 people each year.

The Department of Transportation said more than half of all fatal train accidents happen at railroad crossings without safety gates or signaling devises, as was the case with Monday night’s crash in Jemison.

According to ALEA, the average train weighs about 200 tons and the average car weighs around 4,000 pounds.

That’s the equivalent of a can of soda being hit by car.

AAA said it may be frustrating to wait on train to pass, and it might be tempting to go around crossing arms, but the lesson here is to stay alert and expect the unexpected at train crossings.

“Trains can’t stop like vehicles can. It sometimes takes them miles to stop when they’ve got all that weight behind them and even at very slow speeds it can take a tremendously long time for them to stop. So, don’t bet on that train slowing down or stopping because that’s not gonna happen. You can’t put your life at risk by trying to outrun a train,” said Clay Ingram with AAA.

ALEA said today’s trains aren’t as loud as they were in the past, so it’s possible that any approaching train is closer and moving faster than you may think.

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