A white Nissan Xterra blasted through the Hermosa railway crossing Tuesday morning, narrowly missing a Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train about to cross the highway.
Railroad Vice President Jeff Johnson said the car was traveling south on U.S. Highway 550. As it approached the crossing, the driver made no attempt to slow down and instead drove straight through, destroying the lowered crossing gate.
“Right before the train entered the crossing, a white Xterra came at a fairly good clip and pretty much plowed right through the gate, which was fully lowered for the southbound traffic,” Johnson said.
The Xterra briefly slowed down after crashing through the gate, he said. The vehicle then gunned it and sped off toward Durango.
The train, which the vehicle narrowly missed, was heading north on its morning run to Silverton.
D&SNG employees had to replace the closure gate without flaggers controlling traffic. The railroad is working with Colorado State Patrol to help identify the driver of the white Nissan.
Efforts to reach the Colorado State Patrol for comment Tuesday were unsuccessful.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
