Teen’s death brings call to limit railroad crossings

SULTAN – At the Fifth Street railroad crossing in Sultan, flashing lights and control arms warn motorists when a train is approaching.

About 100 yards east, only a stop sign is there to keep drivers safe.

On Monday, a heartbreaking warning appeared at that crossing: flowers and candles in memory of a teenager who died Saturday when a train struck a Honda CR-V on the tracks.

Krystinia McCarty, 16, a passenger in the car, was remembered Monday as a “shining star” of the community. Her friend, Jeff Hales, 18, who was driving, survived the collision and remains in a Seattle hospital.

The crash has stunned Sultan.

“It’s devastating to this community,” Mayor Ben Tolson said.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office is looking into what caused the collision. Detectives have said little about their investigation.

It’s not known whether the teenage driver stopped before crossing or even heard the train, officials said.

Private rail crossings, such as the one where Saturday’s crash occurred, are more prone to problems, experts said.

The accident occurred at the only place in Sultan where a private road crosses the train tracks, providing access to a couple of homes.

“At a private crossing, if people aren’t paying attention, it’s a lot easier to have something happen,” said Bob Boston, a spokesman for Operation Lifesaver, a group that promotes safety at railroad crossings and on tracks nationwide.

Too many times, local firefighters have had to rescue friends and relatives from collisions on the railroad tracks that run through the Skykomish River valley, Snohomish County Fire District 5 Chief Merlin Halverson said.

Krystinia was the granddaughter of a commissioner in the fire district. Rescue crews recognized the high school sophomore at the scene, Halverson said.

In 1986, a firefighter was killed by a train at the same railroad crossing, he said.

“We cannot undo the past, but maybe we can alter the future,” the fire chief said.

It’s time to study the idea of restricting all railroad crossings in the valley to intersections equipped with signals and control arms, he said. In many cases, access roads to private homes could be built linking those properties to safer, controlled crossings, Halverson said.

Otherwise, the fire chief said, “it’s clear to me that more people are going to die.”

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, which owns the tracks, is open to the idea of closing private crossings, but would require further research, spokesman Gus Melonas said.

The rail line is part of the major east-west route between Seattle and Chicago. On average, 23 freight and passenger trains travel through Sultan each day, usually at speeds near 50 miles per hour, Melonas said.

The train Saturday was blowing its whistle and moving at the approved speed before the crash, he said.

On Monday, trains rolled by, creating wind that knocked over the bouquets of flowers left in Krystinia’s memory.

Relatives picked through debris from Saturday’s crash, including what appeared to be personal belongings scattered in along the track bed.

Friends gathered nearby. They hugged and cried.

Krystinia “always made people smile,” Samantha Radin, 17, said.

At the high school, grief counselors were available to students. Giant posters went up in the cafeteria for students to write notes in memory of Krystinia and get-well wishes for Hales.

A Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman on Monday said Hales was in satisfactory condition.

Friends hope the senior will recover in time for his graduation Saturday.

A memorial service is being planned for Krystinia. Mayor Tolson has been asked to officiate.

Saturday’s crash hit close to home, Tolson said. He has a 15-year-old daughter of his own.

“I remind her to make good choices,” he said. “That’s all you can do.”

Railroad crossing safety

Any railroad crossing can be dangerous, experts say.

Train traffic can occur in both directions on tracks at all hours of the day.

The large size of trains can make them appear to be moving much more slowly than their actual speed.

When crossing an uncontrolled track, look both ways, roll down the window and shut off the radio.

Safety experts offer this advice: Look. Listen. And live.

For more information, go to www.oli.org.