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Hall County, business leaders want firm commitment before closing rail crossing
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Tyler Pinson, in plaid shorts and surrounded by friends and family, said his brakes failed on the dirt and gravel of Tumbling Creek Circle as he approached the Norfolk Southern tracks last week. Pinson, of Gainesville, slid sideways across the tracks and couldn’t back up in time before an oncoming Amtrak train collided almost head-on with his truck. - photo by NAT GURLEY
Last week’s collision of a pickup and an Amtrak train at the Tumbling Creek Circle crossing demonstrated the safety concerns there, but business leaders want a firm commitment from Norfolk Southern to secure a bridge there before closing it. Gainesville resident Tyler Pinson escaped with minor injuries after hitting the train carrying 197 passengers almost head-on a week ago. It’s been the site of several accidents, including fatalities, since 1997, said Jason Field, a railway and highway engineer with Moffatt & Nichol, a consulting firm working with the Georgia Department of Transportation.