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GPS leads driver to high-grade rail crossing, into path of train

Quimby Mug Bayou Florida Headshot
Updated Oct 27, 2021

That advice came from law enforcement and a veteran truck driver following a recent collision between a train and car hauler in Oklahoma which was captured on video that has since gone viral.

[Related: Using navigation systems to boost safety, efficiency]

Two other trucks that became grounded on that same crossing about 80 miles north of Dallas the week of Oct. 11 were freed before a train approached. All three truck drivers apparently followed a GPS-initiated detour to avoid road construction in the area. 

The driver of this 2014 Kenworth T680 exited the truck with his dog before the train struck the rig on Friday evening near Thackersville, Okla.The driver of this 2014 Kenworth T680 exited the truck with his dog before the train struck the rig on Friday evening near Thackersville, Okla.Love County Sheriff's OfficeThe Love County Sheriff’s Office reported that the dramatic Oct. 15 collision between an Amtrak passenger train and a car hauler sent five of the train's passengers to the hospital with minor injuries. The truck driver and his dog were out of the vehicle at the time and not injured. 

Love County Sheriff Marty Grisham said road construction on a nearby highway appeared to have prompted the driver’s GPS to offer an alternate route, which he followed to a high-pitched railroad crossing on Addington Bend Road at Highway 77 near Thackerville.