Train collides with semi stuck on tracks at rural Cass County crossing
A Canadian Pacific Kansas City train crashed into a semitractor-trailer that became stuck after high-centering Tuesday morning at a crossing near Belton in rural Cass County known for similar previous crashes.
The crash occurred about 9:15 a.m. at a crossing on East 187th Street just east of South Homes Road/Missouri Route D, said Sgt. Justin Ewing, a spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop A.
The semi’s driver was able to get out of the truck before the crash. No one was injured in the collision, Ewing said. The semi’s trailer was not hauling any cargo.
The semi’s driver was headed eastbound on 187th, when he became stuck on the tracks at the top of the hill, Ewing said. The collision forced troopers to closed 187th Street for a while, but the crossing reopened after the train was moved away from the crossing. The train was still being inspected to determine if it could continue onto its destination.
Meanwhile, there could be some intermittent shutdowns because part of the semi’s trailer was pushed half a mile down the tracks. A tow truck was requested.
This is not the first crash at this crossing, Ewing said. In 2023, three members of Minnesota family were injured when the semi they were in became stuck on the tracks and was struck by a southbound train.
A husband and wife from Minneapolis, and their four children who at the time ranged in ages from 6 to 13 years old, were traveling in the semi. A 12-year-old boy was seriously injured in the crash. The 40-year-old mother and an 8-year-old boy suffered minor injuries. The other children and the husband were not injured.
Unless it has changed since that crash, signs warn truck drivers of low-ground clearance at the crossing and that they could become stuck on the tracks, as well as on stating that through trucks are not allowed, Ewing said. The
A similar crash occurred in June 2021, when a westbound tractor-trailer became stuck on the crossing and was struck.
Federal Railroad Administration records show the tracks is operated by Kansas City Southern Railway Co., now CPKC. The crossing has lights and gates, the records say, and 17 trains a day go through the intersection at a maximum speed of 59 mph.
The Missouri Department of Transportation’s January 2022 Highway-Rail Grade Crossing State Action Plan called the intersection a “humped crossing” and a “potential” crossing upgrade project.
