BNSF News

Signal Maintainer Stops Train/Truck Collision

2010-06-10

Steve Sodek, a signal maintainer, was following up on some previous work on a crossing near Moody, Texas, on the Fort Worth Subdivision, when he spotted a "wide-load" 18-wheeler on the tracks at a nearby crossing.

He was relieved to see the truck go over the tracks. And then he saw a second "wide load" vehicle approaching, moving very slowly.

"I turned to go to my truck parked nearby to get something," he said. "That's when I saw the first truck go over the tracks."

The second truck alarmed Sodek because of its slow speed.

Sodek saw the oversized truck stop on the tracks, so he quickly "toned" the dispatcher to raise the alert.

Everything happened pretty quickly after that. The dispatcher noted that a train was near, and the train crew, who overheard Sodek's call, immediately began stopping the train.

"The conductor feels that if Sodek had not made that call, the engineer may not have been able to stop the train in time," said Paul Robinson, manager, Signals, in Fort Worth, Texas. "That's a pretty big deal."

Sodek said that because of the size and shape of the truck, the train crew could have suffered serious injuries if a collision occurred.

"All I could think about was the trainmen on that train," he said.

Robinson said Sodek "took the extra step to get involved," and it made a difference to the train crew as well as the truck driver.

Sodek said he felt good about his actions after the train crew called him directly, thanking him for his help in avoiding the collision.

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BNSF Railway Company
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P.O. Box 961057
Fort Worth, TX 76161-0057
Phone: (817) 352-1000

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