Germantown railroad tracks cause car damage, blown tires
GERMANTOWN, Wis. - At least two drivers in Germantown dealt with recent car damage after driving over railroad tracks.
Railroad tracks are designed to transport and connect, but a recent separation near the tracks caused tires to pop. While the problem has since been patched, the damage was already done.
"On May 25, we received a report from a driver stating a vehicle in front of them had gone over the tracks and kicked up a piece of wood," said Germantown Police Sgt. Matt Jones. "They said they were unable to stop in time and struck it, causing damage to their vehicle."
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It created big holes on County Line Road west of Wasaukee road. Pictures show the blown tires, likely caused by the damage to the railroad tracks.
"We had two reports from that day that called and reported it to us," Jones said. "We had additional callers all in the same time all saying, 'Hey, I think there is something wrong with the railroad track.’"
FOX6 went to the tracks on Wednesday morning, and the potholes that were there on Saturday had been filled. Jones said police responded, and the railroad company made an emergency repair.
"Went down, had a look, and I contacted Wisconsin-Southern railroad, told them they needed to come down, conduct some maintenance," he said.
Jones told FOX6 the department has not had any problems with the railroad company in the past. Wisconsin-Southern did not immediately respond to FOX6's request for comment on the situation.
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The Office of the Commissioner of Railroads requires the railroad to maintain all at-grade crossings in good condition for travel. The financial damage still lingers for drivers; one was left with more than $1,000 worth of repairs after going over the tracks earlier this month.
"The best thing you can do is stop at the scene and call the police department wherever you’re at right away and notify them of the damage," said Jones.
FOX6 is looking into whether the railroad tracks had any other reports of problems or damage in the past six months and is waiting to hear back.