JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Nearly three years ago, a semi-truck owned by a Robstown-based trucking company was struck by a Union Pacific Railroad train five miles south of Encinal in South Texas.
The collision destroyed the front end of the semi-truck, but fortunately the driver and passenger in the truck as well as the train crew escaped serious injury.
A display of that mangled vehicle is coming to three Joint Base San Antonio locations to drive home - in graphic fashion - the devastating consequences of train-motor vehicle collisions and the importance of extreme caution at railroad crossings.
"Situational awareness and risk management are paramount in our daily lives, in particular when it comes to railroad crossing safety," Staff Sgt. Dominick Fugazzi, 502nd Air Base Wing safety technician at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, said. "Always expect a train at all crossings, every time. Never stop or get caught on the tracks, always be alert and be aware to stay alive."
The display, a partnership of the 502nd ABW, Union Pacific Railroad, Ainsworth Trucking, owner of the semi-truck, will be presented Monday-Wednesday at JBSA-Randolph, April 30-May 3 at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and May 17-23 at JBSA-Lackland.
The display at JBSA-Randolph will be situated in the search pit near the Visitor Control Center and will be visible to incoming motorists at the Main Gate.
The display at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston will be placed on a parking lot on M.G. Taylor Road across from the commissary. The display at JBSA-Lackland will be held in conjunction with the JBSA Motorcycle Rally.
The accident involving the Union Pacific train and Ainsworth Trucking semi-truck occurred May 11, 2012, when the semi failed to properly stop at a highway-rail grade crossing south of Encinal.
"The driver was stuck on the tracks," Fugazzi said. "He tried to put the truck in reverse, but was unable to do it."
David Ainsworth, owner of Ainsworth Trucking, initiated the display in response to the nearly tragic accident, Buck Russel, Union Pacific public safety manager, said.
"He's a believer in safety and doesn't want anybody to go through what he did - nearly losing two employees," he said.
Ainsworth said he learned a few days after the accident that Russel would be speaking at the South Texas Exploration and Production Safety Network meeting in Robstown that week, and he had a story to tell.
"I knew our accident would be the topic of conversation, and I wanted to be able to tell our story and let everyone see our truck first-hand to see it is real so that hopefully at least one person would pay attention and we could save at least one life from our driver's failure," he said.
The display has been taken to Fort Bliss, Texas, and to communities such as Galveston and Midland. The JBSA locations were chosen because of Ainsworth's and Union Pacific's support of the military, Russel said. In addition, Union Pacific established a relationship with JBSA through its recent participation in a safety awareness video.
Presenting the display at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and JBSA-Randolph is especially pertinent because of the railroad presence near those locations. A busy railroad crossing lies along FM 78 across from JBSA-Randolph.
"Multiple times a week, vehicles are observed stopped on the tracks just outside the JBSA-Randolph Main Gate at the intersection of Pat Booker Road and FM 78," Fugazzi said. "It is not 'if' a train will come; it is 'when' a train will come. An average of 46 trains pass over this crossing every day."
Ainsworth and Russel also collaborate to relay their rail safety messages at several presentations during the year.
"If I can reach one person by presenting our story and displaying our truck to prove this is real and they understand the reality of what will happen if they do not yield to trains, then this is all worth it," Ainsworth said.
Russel called Ainsworth "a true leader in the trucking industry" with regard to safety.
"Without Ainsworth Trucking we would have missed the opportunity to reach a large, important group of people with a rail safety message," he said.
Operation Lifesaver Inc. rail safety education tips:
· Trains and cars don't mix. Never race a train to the crossing - even if you tie, you lose.
· The train you see is closer and faster-moving than you think. If you see a train approaching, wait for it to go by before you proceed across the tracks.
· Be aware that trains cannot stop quickly. Even if the locomotive engineer sees you, a freight train moving at 55 miles per hour can take a mile or more to stop once the emergency brakes are applied. That's 18 football fields!
· Never drive around lowered gates - it's illegal and deadly. If you suspect a signal is malfunctioning, call the 1-800 number posted on or near the crossing signal or your local law enforcement agency.
· Do not get trapped on the tracks; proceed through a highway-rail grade crossing only if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping. Remember, the train is three feet wider than the tracks on both sides.
· If your vehicle ever stalls on a track with a train coming, get out immediately and move quickly away from the tracks in the direction from which the train is coming. If you run in the same direction the train is traveling, when the train hits your car you could be injured by flying debris. Call your local law enforcement agency for assistance.
· At a multiple track crossing waiting for a train to pass, watch out for a second train on the other tracks, approaching from either direction.
· When you need to cross train tracks, go to a designated crossing, look both ways, and cross the tracks quickly, without stopping. Remember it isn't safe to stop closer than 15 feet from a rail.
· Always expect a train. Freight trains do not follow set schedules.