CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Data from the Federal Railroad Association shows that Texas leads the country in train wrecks, with a recent fatal accident in Jim Wells County bringing railroad safety to the forefront.
Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Sgt. Rob Mallory said the Coastal Bend has seen its fair share of train wrecks involving vehicles.
"About four crashes in the Jim Wells, Duval County area, three in Nueces, two in San Patricio, one in Refugio and two in Live Oak," Mallory said.
Jim Wells County Sheriff Danny Bueno said there are often many factors in motion in an incident like this.
"Sometimes people are in a hurry, sometimes people are on their phones or their radios are loud and they can't hear the train coming," Bueno said.
Resident Luis Barrera lives near the crash site. He said there are things residents should consider when it comes to living, or just driving out in the county.
"I've lived here my entire life and I'm very aware of the train," he said. "Part of living out here near the railroad tracks, we have to be cognizant of what's going on all the time."
Even though for Barrera, trains are commonplace, he would still like to see more done to increase safety, including adding more crossing arms.
"It would be nice if we had them, but unfortunately we don't have them right now, but yeah, it's something we think about," he said.
Mallory said that regardless of signage, being aware and checking your surroundings can at times mean the difference between life and death.
"You need to treat each time that you approach that stop sign potentially like a train is coming," he said.