Dangerously close call prompts Bartow driver to call for more railroad safety

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Bartow driver is expressing concerns about safety at a railroad crossing after narrowly avoiding a collision with a train.

Trumeeyka Hawkins needed a moment when she was recalling her near-miss at a railroad crossing in Bartow.

“It was very close,” she said. “It was a very close call. If I was not aware of my surroundings, I would’ve lost my life.”

She was driving on Jackson Avenue when she came to the tracks near North Street just as a train was coming through.

She hit her brakes just in time.

“I almost lost my life,” she said. ”Because there is no safety rail there.”

And that’s her question: Why is there no gate at the tracks? in fact, many crossings don’t have them, they just have warning signals.

“There’s kids driving,” she said. “There’s elderly that’s driving. And if there’s no safety arm, if you’re not paying attention, you can easily lose your life from a train coming and there’s no safety rail.”

Trumeeyka Hawkins became emotional recalling her close call with a train while driving recently in Bartow. (Spectrum News/Tim Wronka)

After relaying Hawkins’ near-miss story to CSX, railway officials said crashes at railroad crossings are more common than people realize.

In fact, CSX said every three hours in the U.S., a person or vehicle is hit by a train.

That’s even more reason for a safety crossing gate, Hawkins said.

“We need to do something about this railroad crossing,” she said. “There’s people, there’s travelers that’s coming to the city. If they’re not paying attention, if I had on my music, then in a second, things could’ve been different.”