Indiana’s Most Dangerous Railroad Crossing: Seven Deaths In Three Years

On July 23 in Gary, Indiana, three women and a baby were in a car driving through the Indiana town when they attempted to drive around railroad crossing safety arms and were struck by a South Shore train. Shockingly, this was far from the first time this type of train and car accident has taken place recently at that very railroad and street intersection – in the last three years, seven people have died trying to drive their cars around the railroad safety arms.

After this most recent Gary train accident incident, in which two of the women died while one woman and the young toddler survived with injuries, the South Sore commuter train line and Gary officials are discussing how to make the railroad crossing a safer place – while keeping costs and other considerations in mind. One plan that road engineers developed was a railroad crossing safety arm that blocks cars and other vehicles from dodging the safety feature and endangering their lives. The second plan involves building a planted median that would make it difficult for cars to leave their lanes and cross the tracks at dangerous times. Both plans involve educating the public in Gary about the how deadly ignoring railroad crossing arms can be.

Improving the safety at the railroad crossing could cut car accidents by 80 percent, according to engineers.

Currently, according to Gary officials, there is no money to make this project happen yet – and the city still has to come to an agreement with the railroad regarding a solution, Until then, many believe that people will keep getting hurt and injured at the railroad crossing.

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