By Shalene White shalene@madillrecord.net
On May 12, 2021, there was a major accident in Kingston. Madill Fire Chief Mike Idleman said at approximately 8:50 a.m., multiple agencies were dispatched to the railroad crossing off of Highway 106 near 70F to respond to an accident.
According to Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Colby Murray #646 of the Marshall/Johnston County Detachment of Troop F, Tonya G. Roberts, a 20-year old female from Idabel, Okla. was traveling southbound and failed to yield at the sign on the railroad crossing.
Her 2011 Chevrolet Cruze was struck by a four engine, 120 car Burlington Northern Santa Fe Freight train driven by Engineer Kent Wuesternfield of Kingston, Okla.
Roberts' vehicle was drug approximately 1200 feet south from the point of impact. Roberts was ejected from the vehicle upon impact approximately 15 feet.
She was flown by Air Evac to the Plano Medical Center in Plano, Texas and was admitted in critical condition. Wuesternfield was not injured. Roberts’ condition is unknown at this time.
The railroad crossing in question is locally known as a blind crossing. This means that there are no railroad crossing lights or arms, and it is difficult to see when a train is coming. The investigation found that Roberts failed to yield for the oncoming train.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop F, Marshall County Sheriffs Office, Madill Police Department, Madill Fire Department, Kingston Police Department, Marshall County EMS, and Air Evac were all on scene.