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Train hits truck, killing driver Selma tow truck operator had tried to stop before crash. By Louis Galvan The Fresno Bee (Published Saturday, June 7, 2003, 5:20 AM) SELMA -- A tow truck driver was killed Friday when his vehicle collided with a Union Pacific freight train. The accident occurred at a railroad crossing that has been the scene of five fatalities since 1993, police said. Marion Edward Coots, 39, who was better known in the Selma community as "Junior" or "JR," died in the crash, family and friends said. The railroad crossing, at North and Front streets, is the only one in town without gates. The crossing has flashing red signal lights and bells. Selma Police Chief Thomas Whiteside said his department's investigation is continuing, but preliminary findings show that the warning devices were functioning properly at the time and that the train had sounded its horn as it approached the intersection. Whiteside said Coots, driving one of four tow trucks co-owned with his partner, Dave Helm, was towing a car west on North when hit by the southbound train. Whiteside said skid marks indicate Coots attempted "a panic stop" seconds before being struck by the train, which reportedly was traveling about 43 mph. The tow truck was thrown into the air and landed about 50 feet south of the crossing. The car being towed also was damaged Whiteside said investigators have talked to a couple of witnesses but have not determined why Coots apparently got too close to the tracks before he tried to stop. "At this point, I can't even guess what happened," the chief said Friday. In addition to two minor injury crashes in 1998, three other fatal crashes have occurred at the crossing since 1993, killing four people, Whiteside said. The most recent crash occurred on Feb. 17, 2002, killing one person. Selma Mayor Dennis Lujan, also a longtime Selma City Council member, said the city has been asking Union Pacific officials for more than 10 years to place a crossing gate at the intersection. Railroad officials have said the city should pay for the crossing gate. "We tell them that a gate is needed for the safety of the public and that it's their property and that they should pay for it," Lujan said. Ten years ago, he said, the cost of installing a crossing gate was estimated at $110,000. He said he didn't know the current cost. Mark Davis, a spokesman for Union Pacific, said the city, state and railroad should work together to install a crossing gate. "The warning devices themselves are considered highway signs," Davis said. "If the city is looking for those upgrades, they would work through the state Transportation Department. The state prioritizes what crossings get improvements. They would have final approval." The train, which was more than one mile long, was headed from Roseville, north of Sacramento, to West Colton near Riverside, Davis said. No injuries to the two-person train crew were reported. The accident, which snarled traffic through Selma for nearly three hours, drew dozens of residents to the scene, many of whom knew Coots. Teresa Johnson, a cousin of his who works as a teacher's aide at Roosevelt Elementary School, said she was getting ready to take her lunch break when she heard about the crash. "It's so tragic," she said. "His son, Jamie, just graduated from high school [Thursday] night." She said Coots and Helm did business as Dave's 24-Hour Towing, with their headquarters at the Shell Station on Floral Avenue, just east of Highway 99. In addition to his son, Coots is survived by his wife, Natalie, and a daughter, Sydney, about 4 years old. Staff writer Michael Baker contributed to this report. The reporter can be reached at lgalvan@fresnobee.com or 441-6139. ----- Original Message ----- From: To: lgalvan@fresnobee.com Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2003 4:58 PM Subject: Train VS. Wrecker Crossing # 750703W http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/Default.asp (click crossing) run the accident prediction on this crossing. Over 20% a year is showing. This prediction was made without the fatality last year and with a average vehicle daily count that was probably guesstimated in 1988 it looks like. Plug in the real #s to the formula and no telling what the prediction would be. It also looks like there might be parallel roads running side by side with the tracks there. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/TA/ProgMgt/Grants/Sight_Eng.pdf which automatically the crossing fails the FHWA sight triangle requirements if the train is approaching from the rear. There is no way a driver can see the train unless their rear view mirror was out of adjustment. So the intersecting angle of the road and track which is part of the formula should be like 0 degrees not 90 degrees which is part of the formula. Sick system when peoples lives count as points and the winner gets crossing gates which the tax-payers only get reemed with a 100% profit in overcharges made by the railroad putting the equipment in AFTER they have killed a 1/2 dozen people. In other words the state, county, city, Federal, and railroad officials who are in charge of railroad safety should be in jail for negligient homicide in the murder of a wrecker driver in Selma, California for not haveing the proper crossing equipment in. Where were the lights out over the street? Post mounted crossing signals have been obsolete for years? Where were the advance warning lights? Electrical wire, light sockets, and lights that can be tied into the existing lights are pretty cheap. Kinda like plugging in a extra set of Christmas lights on the tree which is what the crossings should be lit up like a Christmas tree when the trains are around.
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