Fort Worth police say a man out "having some fun" is responsible for a traffic mess and a hours-long train back up after getting his SUV stuck near railroad tracks.
According to police, at about 2 a.m. Tuesday the man took his vehicle off-roading near the 3800 block of Sylvania. While driving through a field along the railroad tracks, the driver ended up getting stuck on a steep embankment adjacent to the tracks.
A wrecker was called to the scene but was unable to free the vehicle due to the steep terrain.
With special equipment now needed to move the truck, trains had to be stopped in the area until the vehicle could be cleared -- which didn't happen until about 8:15 a.m.
That means big delays for freight trains.
"Stopped trains are not a good thing for us," said railroad spokesperson Raquel Espinonza. "Trains haul the same amount as 300 trucks each, and we have five trains delayed."
Espinoza said those delays ranged between five hours and one hour. She said customers are expecting those shipments on time and the company is doing all it can to get things back to normal.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"Remember the only safe and legal place to cross the tracks is at a designated crossing," she said.
The driver was not intoxicated and he was not placed under arrest, police said. Officials have not said what charges, if any, the driver may face.
