(The Biloxi Sun Herald posted the following story by Margaret Baker on its website on October 16.)
PASCAGOULA, Miss. — The CSX railroad crossing at Chicot Road and U.S. 90 has been designated one of the most dangerous railroad crossings in an eight-state region, according to the latest report by the Federal Railroad Administration.
“The Chicot Road crossing is second only to a crossing in Palm Beach, Fla.,” said Donna Prince, executive director of Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit group whose goal is to keep people informed of the dangers associated with railroad crossings.
“There’s a lot of people commuting across those tracks to go to work and they have to get onto U.S. 90,” Prince said Tuesday. “However, people can’t get in a hurry and be complacent. Trains don’t drive on a schedule. Even though it is frustrating, it is just something that has to be planned for.”
The Chicot Road crossing is a major thoroughfare, according to fire and law enforcement officials, because residents north of the tracks constantly travel them to get to work, to run errands or to shop. Also, the intersection includes a lane to turn onto a service road, another to proceed north and a third to head east onto U.S. 90.
The FRA based its conclusions on public safety and railroad statistics from 1997 to 2002 in Region 3, which includes all of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
The statistics show that Harrison County has the highest number of railroad incidents, followed by Hinds and Jackson counties.
Harrison County, the reports show, had 84 incidents, 23 of which resulted in deaths and 38 with injuries. Jackson County had 31 incidents, with one death and 10 injuries, while Hinds County had 51 incidents, resulting in 10 deaths and 21 injuries.
To prevent more accidents, CSX Railroad officials, Coast firefighters and Operation Lifesaver volunteers are spending Thursday handing out fliers across the region to remind motorists to stop, look and listen for the trains before crossing.
Ocean Springs Fire Chief Mark O’Hare came up with the idea to pass the information along to motorists personally.
Nolan Goodwin, deputy fire chief in Pascagoula, said there can’t be enough warnings.
“Chicot Road is one of the most dangerous (crossings),” he said Tuesday. “People are trying to outrun the arms and beat the train and that is all there is to it.
“What kind of hurry can you be in to put yourself in that situation?” he said. “You are not going to win when you try to beat a train.”
Pedestrians also violate trespassing laws every day when they walk along the railroad tracks, which are considered private property. Some of them end up losing their lives as a result.