Hollywood loves to showcase the carnage of a crash between a train and a car. Movie magic aside, a train crashing into a car, truck, or SUV is nothing short of devastation. However, all the markings in the world didn’t stop a speeding Amtrak train from slamming into a parked police vehicle at a railroad crossing in North Carolina.  

Flashing lights weren’t enough to spare a police car from a crash with a speeding train at a Greensboro railroad crossing

Railroad crossings are a dangerous part of the driving landscape in the United States. Even with markings, flashing lights, and moving barriers, the National Safety Council reports that there were over 2,100 train v. car incidents in 2023. It’s rare. But it does happen. It even happens to police vehicles from time to time. 

Amtrak train number 76 was making the journey from Charlotte to Raleigh last week when it approached the Hilltop Road crossing. The barriers were down and the lights were flashing. Nothing out of the ordinary there. However, a Greensboro Police Department Ford Police Interceptor Utility was parked on the tracks as the train made its crossing. Rock beats scissors. And, as you might think, a giant train beats a police SUV.

The crash sent the Ford SUV flying, before depositing it in a ditch next to the tracks. An Amtrak release detailed the encounter, claiming Amtrak train 76 “came into contact with an unoccupied vehicle obstructing the track in Jamestown, NC at milepost 290.35.” Fortunately, no one was in the vehicle at the time of the crash, per CBS 17. The release also states that none of the train’s passengers were injured in the crash. But that seems a bit obvious. 

So how does something like this happen? In this case, the GPD vehicle was responding to the scene of another crash near the railroad crossing. The witness video shows a fire engine parked alongside the tracks. Like the ill-fated police SUV, the bright-red fire engine was flashing its emergency lights. Witnesses say the police officer noticed the incoming train and abandoned their vehicle.

Unfortunately, these incidents happen. Always pay attention to railroad crossings. Never attempt to drive through active barriers at a crossing. Also, never stop your vehicle on railroad tracks; stop shy or beyond the tracks in dense traffic.