Second Lawsuit Filed in Texas Rail Crossing Crash

A widow to one of four military veterans killed when their parade float was struck by a train at a West Texas railroad crossing has filed a wrongful death suit.

Catherine Stouffer, the wife of 37-year-old Gary Stouffer Jr., seeks unspecified damages in the suit filed Thursday in Dallas.

It's the second lawsuit filed since a train traveling 62 mph in November struck a flatbed truck that was part of a Midland parade honoring wounded vets and their wives.

Among the suit's assertions is that Union Pacific was negligent for failing to maintain a safe crossing.

Raquel Espinoza, a Union Pacific spokeswoman, expressed sympathy to the family but said in a statement that investigators confirmed the crossing signals worked properly at the time.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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