A tractor trailer driver in Fairburn, Georgia had the kind of Thursday afternoon that tends to stick with you. While attempting to cross a set of railroad tracks along Highway 29 near Bishop Road, his rig got stuck — and a CSX freight train was already on its way.
The driver spotted the train bearing down on him and made the only sensible call available: he got out. Fast. He cleared the scene on foot just before the train plowed into the cab, demolishing it and igniting a fire that required crews to respond and extinguish.
The incident happened around 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, June 5th. Two people were aboard the CSX train at the time of the collision. One of them suffered minor injuries. The truck driver, who had the closest brush with disaster, walked away unhurt.
Fairburn Police Chief Anthony described the situation plainly: the truck couldn’t get clear in time, the train couldn’t stop in time, and for a few long seconds, those two facts were on a collision course. Fortunately, only one of them was literally on a collision course with a human being inside.
Fire, Diesel, and a Demolished Cab
When a freight train hits a stationary tractor trailer, it doesn’t exactly tap it out of the way. The CSX train sheared through the cab and set off a fire, which crews worked to knock down. Some diesel spilled from the wrecked truck, but authorities confirmed it was cleaned up without any hazardous materials concerns escalating further.
Traffic along Highway 29 was snarled for hours before clearing.
“They Don’t Stop Quickly”
The police chief noted what anyone who’s ever stood near a freight train already knows intuitively: these things are not built to brake on short notice. A fully loaded freight train can take a mile or more to stop once the brakes are applied — which means that by the time a train crew sees an obstruction on the tracks, the outcome has largely already been decided. The truck driver’s awareness and quick exit were what turned a potential fatality into a near-miss story.
Frederick Burns, a flatbed tractor trailer driver who spoke to local media, said situations like this aren’t as rare as people might think. Getting a big rig stuck on railroad tracks — particularly at crossings with uneven surfaces or tight geometry — is a hazard that experienced drivers are acutely aware of.
A Reminder at Every Rail Crossing
Rail crossings and heavy trucks have a complicated relationship. Long wheelbases, low trailer clearance, and uneven road surfaces can all conspire to leave a rig high-centered or hung up at exactly the wrong moment. Most crossings post emergency numbers on signage specifically so drivers can alert rail operators to stop an approaching train — but timing, in a case like this one, doesn’t always cooperate.
Everyone involved walked away from this one. Not all of them walked far, but they walked.