10,000 sign petition on rail crossing

An online petition asking for safety improvements at the crossing in Eaton where an 18-year-old girl died Tuesday after a crash involving a train gathered more than 10,000 signatures in about 24 hours.

Kennedi Ingram, an Eaton High School senior and athlete, died when a southbound train struck her SUV as she crossed the tracks driving west on Fifth Street in Eaton at about 6 p.m. Her death occurred at the same intersection, almost a year to the day, where Dallas Duran, 16, died after being struck by a train.

The crossing where Ingram and Duran died is tied for the most crashes of any crossing in the state in the past 10 years, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration.

Data show there have been 111 train crashes of all types in Weld County in the past 10 years, the third most in the state after Denver and Pueblo counties. There have been nine crashes in Eaton, more than any Colorado town outside of the Denver metro area. Four of the crashes occurred at the crossing where Ingram died.

The intersection has a stop sign but no crossing gates.

Eaton resident Emma Weaver, 19, an Eaton High School graduate, started the petition because she feels the entities in charge of the crossing have a responsibility to install safety equipment to prevent future tragedies.

Although the Union Pacific Railroad, the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Eaton town government all agreed last summer to draft a plan to construct safety equipment, the process is a long one. The plan would have to be approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. But the commission has yet to receive it, PUC spokesman Terry Bote said.

In the interim, according to CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford, the department is evaluating whether temporary safety measures are necessary.