A Buena Park railroad crossing that nearly caused a collision between a Korean driver’s vehicle and a freight train has been repaired, according to the responsible agency.
The incident occurred at a railroad crossing on Beach Boulevard in Buena Park, a heavily Korean-populated area in Orange County. After coverage by The Korea Daily on February 18, Union Pacific Railroad (UPR) took immediate action to identify and correct the malfunction.
Safety Repairs Completed
Christine South, media director at UPR, told The Korea Daily on March 12 that inspections were conducted at the Beach Boulevard crossing under federal guidelines. “The repairs have been completed,” she said.
Following the incident, UPR implemented additional safety protocols to prevent recurrence. These include:
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Dispatchers contacting engineers immediately when a malfunction is detected.
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Engineers reducing speed and sounding the horn more frequently.
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Conductors being prepared to stop, and, if necessary, exiting the train to manually control traffic until the train passes.
Jurisdiction and City Response
Although the crossing is located in Buena Park, it is not managed by the city. Oversight is shared between Union Pacific Railroad and Caltrans.
Jessica Pure, administrative manager for Buena Park, said the city reached out to the agencies involved following the newspaper’s report. “We will now review all railroad crossings within city limits to ensure they are operating safely,” she added.
Near Collision Caught on Camera
The incident took place on January 30. A Korean driver operating a Tesla had to make a sudden stop when the crossing gates and warning signals failed to activate properly. Footage of the near collision went viral online, raising public concern.
The quick response by the driver helped avoid a potentially serious accident. Since then, the malfunction has been addressed and repaired.
BY YEOL JANG [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
