Train vs. auto, Portland, 01-27-2017

Portland Press Herald wrote:A car was struck by a train at a railroad crossing on Brighton Avenue in Portland Friday morning.

Police say the car was crossing the tracks when it was hit. The driver of the car was taken to Maine Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. Two children, ages 5 and 9, were not injured, police said.

There were no injuries to people on the train, police said. An Amtrak employee said the train was southbound to Boston. The train was removed from the scene by 8:45 a.m.

Portland Press Herald wrote:Portland police say a driver who drove around a line of waiting cars at a train crossing and collided with an Amtrak Downeaster train Friday morning with two children in his car may be charged.

Police say the driver, Derso Mekonen, 56, drove his 2008 Nissan Sentra around the line of waiting cars at a railroad crossing on Brighton Avenue near St. John Street and into the southbound Amtrak Downeaster train 682 at 8 a.m.

The train crossing signals were working at the time, and the gates were down.
. . .
Doherty said video footage from Amtrak and a nearby gas station revealed that Mekonen, who was headed toward downtown Portland on Brighton Avenue, drove around the line of cars and maneuvered around the safety barrier before striking the train as it passed. Both the train and car were in motion at the time of the crash.

Portland Press Herald wrote:Derso Mekonen, 56, of Portland, was issued summonses on two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and failure to obey a railroad safety device, Portland police said Tuesday.

Each of the endangering charges carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail andor a $1,000 fine. The failure to obey a railroad safety device is a traffic infraction.