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Video Shows Freight Train Strike After Driver Goes Under Lowering Gate in Andover

Officials attribute the collision to the driver bypassing active warnings at the Essex Street crossing.

Overview

  • The 84-year-old driver was extricated in about 20 minutes and flown to a Boston hospital, with Transit Police later saying she came out unscathed.
  • New surveillance footage shows the Lexus driving under the descending gate, attempting to back up, and then being hit and dragged before the train stopped.
  • A CSX freight train was involved, and fire crews contained a fuel leak from a damaged fuel tank while managing closures at Essex and Pearson streets.
  • MBTA’s Haverhill Line ran shuttle buses between Lawrence and Ballardvale during the response, then resumed train service with residual delays reported.
  • Investigations by MBTA Transit Police and local authorities are ongoing, the damaged train required towing, and officials note a history of crashes at the site with a $3.3 million redesign grant planned.