Rail crossing: Don't blame railroad for deaths

Re: “Councilman angered by slow safety progress at rail crossing,” (TNT, 5/7).

More whining about the McCarver Street BNSF crossing. Yes, two pedestrians have been killed there in the past year. But is it the railroad’s fault?

To hear columnist Matt Driscoll and certain City Council members, you’d think so. But let’s face facts: The gates were down, the bells were ringing and the lights were flashing, but these people still walked across the tracks. What more is the railroad supposed to do?

Apologies to the surviving family and friends, but these deaths are 100 percent on the people crossing the tracks illegally.

I’m not a lawyer, so this isn’t advice you can take to court, but the crossing is railroad property, not the city’s — and a train’s right of way is absolute, both legally and under the “might makes right” philosophy.

It is the responsibility of a driver or pedestrian to make sure the track is clear before crossing. Frankly, if I were BNSF I’d be of a mind to tell the city to take its street somewhere else and get it off my tracks.

This story was originally published May 12, 2017 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Rail crossing: Don't blame railroad for deaths."