Dangerous crossing: Train strikes vehicle at rail intersection for 2nd time in a month

A New Jersey Transit train struck a box truck Tuesday morning in Middlesex Borough. It is the second time that a train has struck a vehicle at this intersection in a month, leaving some to call for changes.

News 12 Staff

Feb 11, 2020, 3:21 PM

Updated 1,698 days ago

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A New Jersey Transit train struck a box truck Tuesday morning in Middlesex Borough. It is the second time that a train has struck a vehicle at this intersection in a month, leaving some to call for changes.
The crossing is located at Cedar Avenue. In this latest incident, the truck had its back ripped open when the train struck. The truck driver and the people on the train were not hurt.
The issues surrounding the crossing seems to stem from the fact that there are two separate tracks in the area, separated by pavement. It creates a type of “no man’s land” area where drivers may have to stop.
The truck driver says that he moved forward when one of the crossing arms went up. But he says that he then became stuck when the second arm came down at the second set of tracks.
Neighbor Harry Zierdt heard the crash from his home.
“I heard a loud bang,” he says. “I came out to see what was going on. That’s when I saw the tail end of the truck was gone.”
Some of the other incidents at this intersection have been deadly. Two women were killed on Jan. 3 when their car was struck by a train. A 17-year-old boy was also killed at the intersection on Jan. 24.
News 12 New Jersey reached out to Middlesex Borough officials to find out if changes needed to be made at the intersection, but have not heard back.