Railway crossing gate comes down on school bus carrying kids in Freetown

A school bus with children on board had a close call with a train Tuesday in Freetown, Massachusetts, with a crossing gate coming down on the hood.

Video shows the bus stopped under the arm as an MBTA Commuter Rail train races past it.

"They saw the lights flashing and heard the train coming," said Becky McMenamy, whose two sons were on the bus, which was taking middle and high school students home in the Freetown Lakeville Regional School District.

As the bus driver got to the train crossing, the crossing gate suddenly came down on the bus.

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The MBTA says it was human error — the lights and signals were working properly and the bus driver had pulled up too close to the tracks.

"The operator stopped the bus with the nose just past the gate arm at the crossing," said Tim Lesniak, the MBTA's chief safety officer. "At the same time, a train was approaching, resulting in the gate arm coming down on the hood of the bus. The bus was well outside the dynamic envelope of the crossing, and at no time were any students in any danger."

According to the school district, the bus driver followed standard safety measures. She stopped the bus, opened the door and looked both ways. But as the bus driver moved forward, she heard the train's bells and put the bus in reverse. The district says as she was reversing, the crossing gate got stuck on the hood of the bus. At the MBTA board meeting, the chief safety officer did not mention that the bus driver had to actually reverse.

The school district tells us there is now a federal investigation into the incident. They sent the following letter home to parents:

School officials also say they’ll be reviewing training with the bus drivers.

"Clearly, the bus should not have been where it was," said Keith Millhouse, a rail safety consultant and expert. "If she had started across and the gate came down, that means she wasn't looking carefully enough to see the train unless there was a blind curve."

The incident took place on just the second day of the South Coast Rail extension on the MBTA Commuter Rail. It's unclear if that played any role in what happened, as other trains pass by on a daily basis.

"I don't really care whose fault it was," said McMenamy. "I just want someone to admit somebody did something wrong and it needs to be fixed."

McMenamy wants to make sure nobody's in harm's way again.

"It could have been probably one of the worst tragedies that's ever happened in our town," she said.

After the train went by, the crossing gate went back up and the bus driver continued her route.