Two men narrowly escaped with their lives last week when Hedley was the site of two separate train collisions within 24 hours.
Fire fighters look over the remains of Rodney McCracken’s semi-truck. The Hereford man was hit by a BNSF train last Thursday at Hedley.
Enterprise Digital Photo
The first accident happened Thursday, July 20. Reports say an eastbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) train struck a semi-truck driven by 30-year-old Rodney McCracken of Hereford.
McCracken was southbound on McDougal Street at about 9 a.m. when the impact occurred, rending the truck from its trailer and dragging it more than 100 feet.
The driver of the truck was taken to Northwest Texas Hospital where he was treated and released, reports say.
Driver inattention was given as the cause of the Hereford man’s accident.
Hedley man James Edward Potts suffered a broken neck after his Chevy pickup was hit by a BNSF train Friday at Hedley.
Enterprise Digital Photo
On Friday, July 21, another accident happened on the opposite side of Hedley at about 8 a.m.
DPS trooper Daniel Hawthorne said 45-year-old James Edward Potts of Hedley was eastbound on Railroad Street when he turned right on Bailey Street to cross the BNSF tracks.
An eastbound train struck Potts’ Chevrolet extended cab pickup in the passenger side door. The bed of the truck was torn loose and came to rest down the track from the mangled cab.
Potts is blind in his right eye, Hawthorne said, and he probably didn’t see the train coming.
The Hedley man was flown to Northwest Texas Hospital by Lifestar and was still in serious but stable condition Monday afternoon, a relative said.
Potts suffered a broken neck in the accident.
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