FedEx truck hit as driver tries to ‘beat the train,’ Platte County authorities say

A FedEx truck was hit by a train Saturday morning in rural Platte County after the driver attempted to “beat the train” but got stuck on the tracks, according to the Platte County Sheriff’s Office.

The vehicle was struck at a crossing on Oberdiek Lane and Missouri Highway 45 just before 10:30 a.m., Major Erik Holland with the sheriff’s office said.

The train hit the back end of the truck, Holland said. The train operator, truck driver and one passenger sustained very minor injuries, and no one needed hospitalization.

Oberdiek Lane will remain closed for a few hours for cleanup.

The track is operated by BNSF Railway and is designated for freight trains. The crossing i does not have gates or flashing lights to warn drivers.

This is the fourth accident at the crossing, according to data maintained by the Federal Railroad Administration. The most recent crash was in 1995, when a train collided with a car, damaging the vehicle but no one was injured.

This is the second time a train has crashed into a FedEx truck in the Kansas City area this year.

In February, a crash at a crossing without gates in Pleasant Hill killed a 34-year-old Kansas City man. That crossing was only marked by stop signs and signs with a large X that designates a railway crossing.

An investigation by The Star published in December found that a dozen people died in Missouri from 2017 to 2022 at public crossings that were on the state’s waiting list for safety upgrades.