Train-tanker collision prompts questions about railroad crossings
TOWN OF SHERMAN, Wis. - The Sheboygan County Sheriff's office has identified the man who died after the semi tanker he was driving collided with a train.
The victim was 66-year-old Jeffery Blankenheim of Kewaskum.
That crash happened after 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 14 on Abbott Drive. It's in the Town of Sherman just west of State Highway 57.
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Train, manure truck collide in Sheboygan County; 1 dead
A Sheboygan County crash involving a train and a manure truck left one person dead on Wednesday afternoon. It happened on Abbott Drive near STH-57.
That crash is prompting questions about railroad crossings in Wisconsin and what's required of them.
Federal Railroad Administration records show trains roll through this crossing on Abbott Drive just twice a day.
And on Wednesday, one of those trips ended in a fatal crash.
"All of our things that we do are driven by accidents and data that we collect," said Don Vruwink, Wisconsin's Commissioner of Railroads.
Sheboygan County train collision
It's his job to ensure our state's crossings are safe.
"There hasn't been an accident at that crossing, when I looked back at our records, since 1989," Vruwink added.
That proves this crossing's signage worked.
It's marked with a crossbuck 'railroad crossing' sign, the yellow advance warning sign, and a yield sign right at the crossing.
Railroad crossing signs
Traffic of both trains and vehicles dictates the kind of crossing you'll see.
That's why some cities have stronger protections like in Wauwatosa.
But there's another factor that plays a bigger role: money.
"A crossing with gates and lights, right now, costs about $388,000, so you have to be selective in where you put those," said Vruwink.
Vruwink says his office's budget for crossing upgrades hasn't changed in 15 years, which means they can only work on about a dozen per year.
His staff aims to inspect every crossing over a five-to-seven year period.
Though crashes, like what happened Wednesday, can change the timeline.
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"What we'll probably do with this crossing here now is to look at maybe now going there, since there's been a fatality, what the traffic count is," he said.
Vruwink says his office will wait for a final report from the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office and Wisconsin State Patrol to explain exactly what happened.
Before deciding on any changes to the crossing, if necessary.
He also encourages anyone who has an issue with a crossing to contact the office so they can investigate.