09/17/2026
***TALK WITH CHILDREN ABOUT RAILROAD SAFETY***
A couple days ahead of Rail Safety Week, (September 21-25) we share these very scary photos taken from a video yesterday at the Rose Hill Road crossing. The unidentified juvenile hoisted their bicycle up on the train car, climbed over the coupler and came through on the other side. The video is 1 minute and 8 seconds long. So many terrible things could have gone wrong in that time frame.
Railroad trespassing is illegal and extremely dangerous, serving as the leading cause of rail-related deaths in the United States according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
Kansas Law:
21-5809. Trespassing on railroad property. (a) Trespassing on railroad property is:
(1) Entering or remaining on railroad property, without consent of the owner or the owner's agent, knowing that it is railroad property; or
(2) recklessly causing in any manner the derailment of a train, railroad car or rail-mounted work equipment.
(b) Trespassing on railroad property is a:
(1) Class A nonperson misdemeanor, except as provided in subsection (b)(2);
(2) severity level 8, nonperson felony if such trespassing results in a demonstrable monetary loss, damage or destruction of railroad property valued at more than $1,500.
(c) Subsection (a) shall not be construed to interfere with the lawful use of a public or private crossing.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting a representative or member of a labor organization which represents or is seeking to represent the employees of the railroad, from conducting such business as provided under the railway labor act (45 U.S.C. § 151 et seq.) and other federal labor laws.
(e) As used in this section "railroad property" includes, but is not limited to, any train, locomotive, railroad car, caboose, rail-mounted work equipment, rolling stock, work equipment, safety device, switch, electronic signal, microwave communication equipment, connection, railroad track, rail, bridge, trestle, right-of-way or other property that is owned, leased, operated or possessed by a railroad company.
https://oli.org/about-us/public-awareness-campaigns/see-tracks-think-trainr-week