Metro: Bad signal factor in light rail crash

A crossing arm where the light-rail line intersects with a Tempe road malfunctioned seconds before the recent collision of a train and a pickup truck, transit officials said Friday.

However, the pickup's driver was cited by police for driving through the crossing while the arm was in motion.

According to an investigating board convened by Metro, the crossing arm signal on University Drive west of Rural Road briefly lost electrical contact with an oncoming train last Monday afternoon.

Video from a Metro camera showed the arm was down for the passage of an eastbound train, but then rose as the westbound train approached University. The white 2005 Chevrolet pickup driven by Brandon Stovall, 28, then drove west, toward the tracks.

Seconds later, the train struck the truck behind the passenger cab.

No injuries were reported, Tempe police said, although Stovall disputes that. Travel along the rail line was briefly interrupted.

Metro's board said computerized data recorders indicate the oncoming train and the crossing arm were out of contact for seven seconds. Once the train reestablished contact, the arms returned to the down position.

The red flashing lights and bells warning drivers of a train continued to operate throughout the event, the investigation found.

"We are always concentrating on safety," said Metro spokeswoman Hillary Foose. "That is why we take this investigation so seriously, why we convened a board to look into it....

"It also serves as a reminder for the public to also be safe and use their traffic signals and obey signals at railroad crossings."

A Tempe police report pins the blame on Stovall's failure to yield.

But Stovall, who was moving from Mesa to Tempe on the day of the crash, called the reports' conclusions "ridiculous."

"That's how you go through the intersection: When (the arms) raise up, you go forward," Stovall said.

In addition, he took issue with the police saying no one was injured.

"I thought I got hit in the side of the face with a baseball bat," Stovall said. "If it had been somebody on a motorcycle, it would've been a different story."

Police also cited Stovall for driving with a suspended license.

Since the collision, Metro has instituted a "slow order" at the University crossing, requiring trains to slow to no more than 15 mph when approaching and through this crossing to assure that arms are down and pathway clear. The slow order will continue until any technical issues are resolved, Metro said.

Also Metro is examining crossings at four other locations, three in Tempe, along on the 20-mile line.

This was the second crash between a train and a car since Metro opened to passengers on Dec. 27. On the third day of service, a Honda crossed the tracks at a downtown Phoenix intersection and hit a train.

Staff writer Michelle Reese contributed to this report.