In Amelia county, VA, there is a RR track on hwy 360, where a statue of an angel sits. What happened there?

Question

This location is west of Richmond, not too far from the Richmond Zoo.The statue is white, and is at a RR crossing .

Answer 1

Drunk driving accident about 20 years ago.

Answer 2

I can't say, exactly, but it would be a safe bet that there was a grade crossing fatality there, and either surviving family or train crew involved in that fatality placed the statue there.

Since we're on that subject, consider this. 99.9% of grade crossing fatalities are completely avoidable. It is the driver of the vehicle that places them self in harm's way. A train won't swerve and try to hit you. Neither can it swerve to miss you. You must put yourself it its way.

Even where there are crossing gates to provide protection, LOOK before crossing the tracks. These devices are NOT fail safe, even with battery back-up power. Twice in my own career as a locomotive engineer, spanning three decades, I have operated trains over public crossings at grade where the gates were inoperative. These were not out of the way crossings in the middle of no-where. It is a miracle no one was killed.

In those instances where you are delayed by a passing train, stop back from the crossing if at all possible, with a minimum of 50', and preferably 100'. Everyone has seen pictures of derailed equipment scattered about. Keep in mind, the next car in the train might be the one to jump the track, and wham! In the blink of an eye you have 130 tons of lumber in your lap. Granted, the chances are probably the same as hitting a lottery jackpot, but, every once in a while, someone hits that jackpot. It is better that an irritated motorist behind you tells you you're "number one" through the display of an extended middle finger than it is to wind up as a greasy spot on the roadway.

Do not count on hearing the train's whistle, either. Chances are, the windows of the vehicle will be up, running either the heater or the air conditioning, and probably with the CD playing or talking on the phone.

Give attention to and respect the crossings as a place where death is always imminent to the inattentive. Look, listen and live.