LEBANON, Tenn. (WKRN) — Lebanon police are warning drivers to use caution at a railroad crossing after an accident caused the safety equipment to malfunction.

A wreck involving a semi-truck on W. Baddour Parkway and Hartmann Dr. is causing a malfunction at the railroad tracks.

The West Baddour Parkway and Hartmann Drive intersection is usually busy, and police had to shut down Northbound traffic at West Main Street yesterday.

Lebanon Police Department Public Information Officer Zach Patton said it was a busy scene, and traffic units are still investigating the cause of the accident. Investigators said the apparent cause is mechanical failure from the semi-truck, but they’re still working to figure out what happened.

Following the accident, the department received multiple calls about the crossing arms, lights, bells and safety equipment not going off as the train approached. After speaking with the railroad company, Patton learned that some of the damage caused by the accident is causing the safety equipment to not work properly.

Until it’s fixed, a train coming through the crossing has to come to a stop and manually send a signal from the train to activate the safety equipment including the lights, the arms and the bell. The train has to get close to the crossing to activate the equipment and make sure all cars are stopped before passing through. 

The railroad company is working to restore full functionality of the crossing. Patton said he believes they’re waiting on additional parts that are needed for the repair, which is being sent to Lebanon.

“I believe they’re waiting on a couple parts that are in the process of getting here to Lebanon,” Patton said. “I know as soon as they get those parts, they’ll get out there and get the railroad crossing back to its full functionality, so there’s not much delay in train traffic.”

Patton wants residents to be mindful when coming to the intersection so they know what to expect.

“If you do see a train and it does appear like it’s about to cross through the intersection or through the crossing without the safety equipment, just know that they’re working to manually turn that equipment on when they’re getting that close to the intersection,” Patton said.

Crews could still be working on the crossing over the next 24 hours.  

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/middle-tn-neighborhood-news/railroad-crossing-malfunctions-after-crash-in-lebanon/