![]() Railroad companies are responsible making sure their train crossings are safe. Railroads need to start putting safety first. ![]() Railroad companies need to do more to ensure that their railroad tracks and crossing protect approaching motorists. Railroad crossing crashes are a tragic, preventable problem across the country. This tragedy is made even more heartbreaking because it did not have to happen. If UP was content with a 20% profit margin, rather than a 24% profit margin, it could invest more than $500 million each year into making sure its crossings were safe. According to UP’s own analyst factbook, UP had operating revenues of more than $14 billion and operating income of nearly $3.4 billion in 2009, resulting in a 24% profit. Just this month UP announced it would increase its dividend to shareholder by 22% and buyback stock to raise its share price for investors. Several crashes, more near-hits and now at least four families left devastated by the deaths of their loved ones has left this rural Missouri town wondering why Union Pacific Railroad won’t take responsibility for its own railroad crossing. At least four people have died at that crossing. The railroad says it doesn’t have to pay for lights and gates and the state said it wouldn’t put the warning devices in either. The crossing was not guarded by flashing lights or gates. The Union Pacific train was going nearly 60 miles per hour across the residential crossing where motor vehicle traffic could go no faster than 35 mph. Nikki and two others were killed at a Union Pacific Railroad crossing in Trenton, Missouri. ![]() Fox 4 News in Kansas City ran a feature story on our clients, the family of Nikki Groves.
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