Chapel Hill residents call for changes to railroad crossing

CHAPEL HILL, Tenn. (WSMV) - People who live here are raising concerns about a railroad overpass after three siblings died there on Saturday.

Those who take the route everyday said it is a dangerous road and believe the crash could have been prevented.

Tina Foster said she travels Depot Street every day to and from work.

“It is a nightmare,” Foster said.

It is a one-lane street on an include that goes over the train tracks near her home.

“When you go over it, you are looking straight into the air,” Foster said. “You can’t see the tracks until you are up at the top. By that point, you are way too close to a train if it comes.”

This weekend, a train hit a Toyota Corolla and knocked the car 0.7 miles. The three siblings inside the car were killed.

“I had a range of emotions,” Foster said. “Anger, hurt for their mother and them losing their lives. It shouldn’t have happened. It is a desperate situation that should not be.”

Foster said she believes this could have been prevented if there were flashing lights or a barrier arm. Town Administrator Danny Bingham said the town did not have funding for the improvements before, but he said the mayor and Board of Alderman will again consider making changes following this accident.

“I drive that road myself. Safety is always a concern,” Bingham said. “We will need cooperation with CSX to get the ball rolling. Hopefully, we can get some concrete things done to avoid things like this in the future.”

The only other option for drivers is the underpass. It is also one-lane without a direct line of sight. Cars honk when they go under it so cars traveling in the other direction stop for them.

“It is the safer of the two options, but that’s not safe either because you can’t see what is coming the other way,” Foster said.

Foster said something needs to be done before this is another tragedy.

“There has been a lot of back and forth, passing the buck,” Foster said. “It is the railroad’s responsibility, town’s responsibility, state’s responsibility. Someone needs to take responsibility.”

Friends of the sibling who died said two of them worked for a hotel in downtown Nashville. They said they were great workers and even better friends and will be sorely missed.

A GoFundMe account has been set up for the family for funeral expenses and to bring their mom from Venezuela.

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