North Tonawanda, N.Y. (WBEN) - Following a letter sent to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Tuesday from Congressman Tim Kennedy (NY-26), the agency confirmed with his office Wednesday there will be an investigation launched following this past Friday's fatal accident between a passenger vehicle and an Amtrak train in North Tonawanda.
"I’m grateful that FRA has quickly heeded our call and has opened an investigation into this tragedy," said Rep. Kennedy in a statement. “Deaths from at-grade crossing collisions are all-too-common nationwide and here at home in Western New York. An investigation is the first step, which will provide us with the knowledge we need to make safety improvements not just at this specific intersection, but on a much wider basis. Transportation technology is improving every day, and we need to make sure that our nationwide system has the latest in safety innovations to help prevent future occurrences like this."
The accident claimed the lives of three individuals: a 69-year-old man, a 66-year-old woman, and a 6-year-old boy.
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The accident is the second fatal train collision in North Tonawanda this year, following a crash in January that killed a 29-year-old woman.
In his letter to FRA, Kennedy noted that the Administration’s input will be vital in helping formulate new policies and procedures that can help reduce the occurrence of at-grade crossing collisions. According to FRA, more than 200 people die each year in these types of accidents, a tragically-high number.
"We all have to work together to build a partnership and find solutions here," said North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec. "My office is going to be reaching out to mayors and supervisors across the region and we're going to be seeing if we can kind of create a partnership amongst all of them and call on our federal level, call on CSX to build a connection there to just work together and make sure we can prevent anything from happening again."
There are 18 at-grade crossings in the City of North Tonawanda. Not accounting for last week’s accident, there are 6 documented incidents at the Felton Street crossing. They occurred in 2017, 2013, 2001 (1 fatality, 1 injury), 1997 (1 injury), and 1984.
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