When a train and a motor vehicle collide, railroad companies will try to blame every incident on motorists. But that isn’t accurate. Railroad crossing accident statistics show thousands of collisions occur each year, and usually, malfunctions and failures of the railroad—not caused by drivers—are at fault. Understanding how a crash or wreck happened and which factors contributed are keys to determining liability. Read on to see how the train wreck lawyers at DBJ Law can help raise questions that reveal true crash causes and hold those responsible accountable.
How Often Do Railroad Crossing Accidents Occur?
According to railroad crossing accident statistics by the Federal Railroad Administration, there were 2,266 highway-rail collisions in 2025, resulting in 288 fatalities and 754 injuries. With 212,000 of these intersections in the U.S. across 140,000 miles of track, these environments present ongoing safety concerns—and highlight how frequently these serious wrecks still occur.
How Railroad Crossing Accidents Occur at Crossings
Most collisions between a train and a car or a pedestrian are preventable. And unfortunately, due to the size and force of a freight train, these accidents and wrecks can often cause serious injuries or death. Some reasons for incidents at railroad crossings include:
- Drivers and pedestrians are not adequately warned of the oncoming train
- Railroad crossing signal or gate malfunctions create confusion
- Obstructions interfere with drivers’ ability to see approaching trains
- Vehicles become stuck on tracks
4 Factors That Contribute to Train Crossing Accidents
Collisions between trains and vehicles or pedestrians often result in catastrophic injuries or deaths, but these rarely result from a single failure. When asking who is usually at fault during crashes at railroad crossings, the answer often depends on what went wrong at the site. Driver behavior is only one piece of the analysis. Conditions the railroad company is responsible for can play a significant role and may justify filing a lawsuit against a railroad company when a serious wreck occurs.
1. Malfunctioning Warning Systems
Drivers rely on coordinated warning systems—gates, lights, and audible signals—to alert them of approaching trains. When these systems fail, they may not receive adequate notice of the oncoming hazard, increasing the risk of a collision or wreck.
Dangerous railroad crossing malfunctions include:
- Gates that do not lower or lower too late
- Flashing lights that fail to activate
- Audible warnings that are delayed or absent
- Signals that activate inconsistently
2. Obstructed Sightlines
Clear visibility is critical at railroad tracks, especially at crossings without gates or lights. Railroad crossing cases involving blocked sightlines often examine whether the environment allowed a reasonable opportunity to see an approaching train. When overgrown vegetation, structures, parked railcars, or curves in the tracks obscure the oncoming hazard, it’s the conditions—not the driver’s behavior—that become critical factors in the accident or wreck.
The Department of Transportation’s statistics highlight the severity of crashes at crossings, reporting that 95% of rail-related fatalities occur at intersections. DBJ Law Firm has seen the consequences of poor sightlines in a case involving a 90 percent sight-distance obstruction. Our attorneys fought to get the family of the man killed a $19 million settlement from the railway company.
3. Inadequate Crossing Design or Maintenance
Some crossings may present risks due to the design or maintenance. These can include steep or angled grades and inadequate warning systems that increase safety risks for motorists or pedestrians. Key design flaws that contribute to highway-rail crossing incidents and wrecks include:
- Lack of active warning devices
- Poor roadway alignment or grading (too steep or skewed approach)
- Outdated or inadequate design for the traffic pattern
- A narrow or skewed approach that forces vehicles to get stuck on a crossing
In one case against BNSF Railway Company, our attorneys secured a favorable verdict when evidence raised valuable questions about the conditions at the crossing. The company failed to follow industry standards by maintaining a crossing that was too narrow. This allowed the victim’s dump truck tire to become stuck in the path of a train. While each case is fact-based, situations like this raise key safety issues beyond driver conduct.
4. Negligent Inspections or Safety Failures
Railroad crossing collisions can stem from railroad noncompliance, such as deferred repairs or irregular inspections. When freight companies ignore infrastructure and equipment conditions at crossings, accident risks can increase—and lead to preventable wrecks. Some lapses and the resulting consequences include:
- Gate timing and activation errors that fail to warn drivers of approaching trains
- Poorly maintained electrical systems can interfere with warning signals
- Track or rail defects can cause derailments and secondary collisions
- Irregular testing keeps faulty warning devices and safety barriers in place
- Ignored incident reports and complaints
One lawsuit our lawyers litigated secured a $12.5 million settlement following a collision. In this case, we revealed that ignoring a history of documented incidents and safety measures contributed to the crash.
Legal Support for Train Accidents
Because these situations can involve technical and fact-specific issues, speaking with a lawyer experienced in railroad litigation may help you better understand your options after a serious accident or wreck. Railroad companies are too quick to blame the driver despite factors like faulty warning systems, visibility issues, and poorly maintained intersections.
If you’ve been harmed or lost a loved one in a train collision, please consider reaching out to an experienced legal team for support. Contact the attorneys at DBJ Law for help investigating crashes and the railroad company’s actions and inactions to reveal the root cause.