[Major Matt Mason]

Then why stay on the train tracks? If the crossing rail is down, why not just drive through it with the truck? There was a train barreling down on them, after all, why worry about damaging the crossing rail vs. losing your life? Sorry, but this is fishy.

[shelterguy]

If you go around the arms you can get off the platform. Tires can’t get over the rails and there you sit.

It happens all the time. No conspiracy here, just a truck driver who took on a train and lost.

[ltc8k6]

He tried to beat the train and lost.

Pretty simple.

Happens all the time.

[SaxxonWoods]

To go around the barrier you have to drive over the rails without help of the crossover. Doesn’t always work, vehicles get caught on the rails often when this is tried.

If it was an attack, why 3 people in the truck? Only need one to drive. Why place the truck on the tracks on purpose and then sit in it and wait get smashed with 3 people?

It’s not fishy.

[MarMema]

My husband says the pics showed the truck was about to dump the back part of it. Some level was up or something...I know nothing about this stuff.

He thinks maybe they planned to leave the dump part of the truck and get out but screwed it up.

[AnAmericanMother]

Then why stay on the train tracks? If the crossing rail is down, why not just drive through it with the truck? There was a train barreling down on them, after all, why worry about damaging the crossing rail vs. losing your life? Sorry, but this is fishy.

Not fishy - couple of reasons. This is from my personal experience as my husband and I witnessed a near miss at our local crossing, which is 2 blocks from our house.

The crossing was under maintenance and closed, barricades up. Idiot in a jeep drove AROUND the barricades and onto the crossing. Promptly got stuck, wedged between the edge of the asphalt and the rail. Just as we drove up to see what was going on, we heard the horn.

My husband ran up while I turned our truck around and got out the tow strap. The driver was FROZEN behind the wheel like a deer in the headlights. My husband had to physically unbuckle him and DRAG him out of the driver's seat, yelling all the while.

Fortunately for all concerned, the train was under a go slow order because of the crossing maintenance, and he had enough sight distance to throw all the brakes on and stop about 50 feet short of the crossing. That engineer boiled out of the cabin - he was like a little banty rooster and he was cussing mad! You have to imagine my husband (a big guy - 6'6" and about 250 with a bushy red beard) and the conductor (who was not as big but big enough) talking this itty bitty engineer out of trying to rend the idiot driver limb from limb. It was funny afterwards but not very funny at the time.

I used to investigate crossing accidents for the old Southern before they merged with C&O . . . most don't end so happily.