5th train-truck accident at John Conoly Road crossing
By Gilda Morales
It has been less than a year since a steady stream of sand trucks began rolling in and out of the Burro Sand Mine, east of Van Horn. Within that time, about half a dozen truckers hauling the sand destined for fracking wells, have been involved in major accidents including a fatality this week. A 2012 Freightliner driven by 55-year-old Juan Manuel Maldonado of Santa Anna, California, was struck by the train at 7:32 a.m. on Monday. Maldonado was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Michael Davis.
The Texas Department of Public Safety report provided to the Advocate indicated that the truck driven by Maldonado was empty, traveling north, when the driver allegedly failed to yield the right of way to a train at the John Conoly Road railroad crossing near I-10, Exit 153. His truck was hit by the westbound train, separated on impact, and caught on fire. The Van Horn Volunteer Department extinguished the wreckage and surrounding grass fire. The train conductor and two occupants were taken to Culberson County Hospital with minor injuries.
Railroad personnel were posted at the scene yesterday, stopping an average of 10 trucks an hour, and speaking with each driver about the accident and safety concerns, in an attempt to bring awareness to the high truck traffic crossing the tracks.
According to the Culberson County Sheriff’s Office, at least two sand trucks have overturned on interstate roadways here, and with the train accident on Monday, five have collided with trains at the John Conoly Road railroad crossing. With no obstructions at or around the railroad crossing, officers can only speculate driver inattention as a significant contributing factor to the high number of accidents.