Utah transit employee fired over train collision at crossing

Utah transit authorities have fired an employee after an investigation determined human error was the reason railroad crossing arms were up when a passenger train crushed a FedEx semitrailer.

Utah Transit Authority said in a news release Monday that the unnamed employee raised the arms without proper authorization before a violent collision on Jan. 21 in North Salt Lake.

The collision sent pieces of cardboard boxes from inside flying into the snowy air, but nobody was injured in the semitrailer or passenger train.

The employee was at the crossing to inspect the crossing arms after cold and ice earlier that day forced the arms down into a safety default mode.

FedEx didn’t comment on the firing, saying only it is grateful nobody was seriously injured.