Southeast Baltimore railroad crossing collision marks third in Md. over last 13 days

BALTIMORE -- The Canton Express locomotive is back to pulling freight Tuesday after a collision with a truck on Eastern Avenue.

The train hit a semi-trailer on Monday, marking the third rail collision over the last 13 days. No one was seriously injured.  

"If you don't fit, don't commit," said Rachel Maleh, executive director of the rail safety group Operation Lifesaver. "It's not going to clip you. It's going to get you."

Collisions happen eight times a day in the U.S., according to the group.

"A vehicle or a person is struck by a train every three hours. It is just staggering," said Maleh.

Earlier this month in Frederick County, an Amtrak train hit a truck hauling lumber at the MARC station in Brunswick.

No one was hurt.

Two days later, a CSX train collided with a semi-trailer on Schaefers Lane near Pulaski Highway in Rosedale. The driver of that truck was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. 

It's at least the third collision at this crossing since 2015, and that's after a report from the NTSB recommended safety improvements at this crossing and others after a 2013 collision caused a derailment and explosion.

"It's really no contest between a vehicle, regardless of the size of a vehicle, and a train," said Maleh.

If you're stuck on the tracks, get everyone out of the car and find the blue sign nearby, she said. You'll want to alert a dispatcher right away.

The average freight train traveling 55 mph can take a mile or more-to stop.