In patient with a locked crossing gate and the need to get his truck and equipment across the tracks for an assigned work project caused this accident. The driver attempted to cross over tracks where it appeared to have been crossed before mistaking a turn out for Maintenance of Way crews (MOW) as a possible crossing. Once high centering the Ford work truck on the rails his only good grace was to have all the other two work members disembark, sending one in each direction down the tracks. The driver made another effort to rock the truck off but this west bound K-line stack train approaching at track speed of 65 mph hour hit the truck and took it almost a mile down the tracks.
For the Railroad crew members thankfully there was no one inside the vehicle at impact something every trainman is fearful off. In this photo local volunteer firefighters are preparing to leave and the lucky workers (in orange vests) attempt to salvage items from their work truck before it is pulled off the coupler of UP 5098 by the 59 Local that had been summoned from Apex. Remember always cross either on foot, bike or vehicle at a marked crossing