Crossing arm strikes vehicle

CHENEY – The Police Department had to direct traffic at the corner of Betz Road and state Highway 904 on Thursday Dec. 22, after the railroad crossing equipment failed.

A railroad crossing arm apparently malfunctioned and caused a struck a vehicle, Sgt. Chris English said.

The arm was knocked off, said English, who was on shift during the time of the incident.

English said the original collision was never reported, he collected the information through officers that were on the scene.

After the gate was damaged, the system would not reset, he said. So Eastern Washington railroad workers were dispatched to repair the gate before the next train was scheduled to pass through Cheney. However, after the gate was repaired, the railroad crossing system still wouldn't reset to resume normal functionality, he said. So, all of the gates were forced open to allow traffic to flow normally while the Police Department directed traffic.

Railroad technicians were dispatched once again Friday, Dec. 2, to see if the systems could be reset and repaired manually.