A freight train collided with a semi truck in Queens, New York, after the safety gate failed to activate as the train was approaching the intersection.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, July 8th, around 1.am. at the intersection of Rust Street and Maspeth Avenue in the town of Maspeth. It was caught on video by the dash cam of a garbage truck that was approaching the intersection.
In the video, you can see the safety gate remain up, which allowed the semi truck to start crossing the tracks. The lights on the safety gate activate after the train was already crossing the intersection, making it impossible to react.
Upon impact, the semi truck was pushed roughly 200 feet down the tracks according to ABC7.
Miraculously, the 62-year-old truck driver suffered only minor injuries.
William Hunter, of the Teamsters Local Union 707, spoke to reporters about the ongoing problem. “That arm has been a problem, never comes down. Trucks come through there all the time and that train comes through barely missing guys,” he said.
According to a Federal Railroad Administration report, there have been more than a dozen accidents at this crossing in the last decade.
Marcim Golomka, the garbage truck driver that captured the footage, said he’s thankful that he had a dash cam running, “This driver would be in trouble. I would be in trouble because they would just saw you’re crossing the tracks when the thing was closed.”
Officials declined to comment, only saying an investigation was underway.
