Train accident in Glendale, Arizona: the BNSF crossings, who investigates and what to save
One railroad shows up in Glendale's federal crossing data: BNSF, with 47 incidents since 2016. The Arizona Corporation Commission investigates train and auto collisions. The railroad must keep its event recorder data, but only for a year. You generally have 2 years to sue.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (29)
Where do trains run through Glendale, Arizona?
The BNSF railroad cuts through the Old Town area, with a switching station along the US 60 and Glendale Avenue intersection. US 60, also called Grand Avenue, is run and maintained by ADOT, not the city.
Federal crossing-incident reports show how often something goes wrong. From January 1, 2016, the data list 47 incidents in Glendale, every one naming BNSF Railway Company. Nineteen list Camelback Rd and 10 list Bethany Home Rd as the crossing street. Other entries use spellings like 43rd and Camelback, so the true count at Camelback may be higher.
Three of the 47 involved an injury, in 2017, 2020 and July 2024. The data list no deaths in Glendale in that period. Those are counts of reported incidents, not a ranking of danger, and the crossings with the most reports may simply carry the most traffic.
Who investigates a train accident in Glendale?
Three groups may be involved, and each holds different records.
| Who | What they do | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Corporation Commission, Office of Railroad Safety | Investigates train and auto collisions, and pedestrian or trespasser injuries at crossings | Main line (602) 262-5601; emergency (602) 542-7772 |
| Glendale Police | Respond to the scene on city streets | The crash report, through the records office |
| The railroad | Keeps locomotive event recorder data | A written request to preserve it, sent soon |
Every crossing has a blue sign with a phone number for railroad emergencies. For a complaint or investigation, call the Commission instead. Blocked crossings go to the Federal Railroad Administration tool or the Commission.
What must the railroad save after a crash in Glendale?
After a reportable accident, a railroad must preserve the event recorder data. That duty ends 1 year after the accident unless the FRA or NTSB asks for it. Do not wait. A letter asking the railroad to keep recorder data, video and dispatch records should go out in the first weeks.
Federal rules can limit what you can claim at a crossing. Claims about federally funded warning devices can be pre-empted, and so can excessive speed claims. Congress kept some state damage suits alive, so a crossing claim is not always dead on arrival. This is a job for a lawyer who handles railroads.
Who pays when a train hits someone in Glendale?
It depends on who you were. A passenger on a train has a federal cap per accident. A driver or pedestrian sues the railroad or another at-fault party. A rail worker uses a different law.
Railroads are liable to injured employees under FELA, for negligence that played any part in the injury, and the deadline is 3 years.
Trespassing changes the answer. In Arizona the owner's duty to a trespasser is only to avoid intentional, wilful or wanton injury. Tracks are private property, and walking on them outside a designated crossing is illegal. Federal data name trespass as the leading cause of rail-related deaths.
If a public agency owned the road or sign at fault, you have 180 days to file a claim and then one year to sue.
What should you do after a train accident in Glendale?
- Call 911, then get care. Banner Thunderbird, 5555 W. Thunderbird Rd., is listed as a Level I trauma center.
- Write down the crossing, the time and the number on the blue sign.
- Ask Glendale Police for the report, and tell the Commission what happened.
- Send the railroad a written request to keep recorder data and video.
- Photograph the gates, lights and signs. Broken or dark signals matter.
- Calendar 180 days for any public claim and 2 years for a lawsuit.
Questions
How many people die at rail crossings each year?
Federal data count more than 2,000 crossing incidents and about 200 deaths a year across the country.
Can I report an unsafe crossing in Glendale?
Yes. Signs at crossings tell the public how to report unsafe conditions. The Commission also takes complaints about roadway surfaces at crossings.
Do I have to sue the railroad within 2 years?
For most injured drivers and pedestrians, Arizona's general limit is 2 years. Rail workers get 3 years under FELA.
Train accident in Glendale? See if you are owed money.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (29)
- U.S. DOT, Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Incident Data (Form 57), checked 2026-11-09. “[{"railroadname":"BNSF Railway Company","count":"47"}]”
- Arizona Corporation Commission, Railroad Safety, checked 2026-11-09. “Train/auto Collisions”
- 49 CFR 229.135, checked 2026-11-09. “preserve the data recorded by each such device for analysis by FRA”
- 49 CFR 229.135, checked 2026-11-09. “This preservation requirement shall expire one (1) year after the date of the accident”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- U.S. DOT, Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Incident Data (Form 57), checked 2026-11-09. “[{"highwayname":"CAMELBACK RD","count":"19"} ,{"highwayname":"BETHANY HOME RD","count":"10"}”
- Arizona Corporation Commission, Railroad Safety, checked 2026-11-09. “Pedestrian injury or fatality at a highway-rail crossing”
- 45 U.S.C. 56, checked 2026-11-09. “No action shall be maintained under this chapter unless commenced within three years from the day the cause of action accrued.”
- City of Glendale, Municipal Airport Strategic Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “Glendale in the Old Town area is bisected by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad which has a switching station along the US 60 and Glendale Avenue intersection.”
- Maricopa Association of Governments, US-60/Grand Avenue COMPASS Study, checked 2026-11-08. “US-60/Grand Avenue is an important facility controlled and maintained by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).”
- U.S. DOT, Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Incident Data (Form 57), checked 2026-11-09. “"highwayname":"CAMELBACK RD","totalkilledform57":"0","totalinjuredform57":"1"”
- Arizona Corporation Commission, Railroad Safety, checked 2026-11-09. “Blocked Crossings Report to the Federal Railroad Administration-reporting tool or report to the ACC Office of Railroad Safety email [email protected] or call (602) 262-5601.”
- Glendale Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Glendale Police Department Main Station 6835 N. 57th Drive Glendale, AZ 85301 (623) 930-3100”
- Arizona Corporation Commission, Railroad Safety, checked 2026-11-09. “The phone number is printed on a BLUE SIGN and posted on each side of every crossing”
- Norfolk Southern v. Shanklin (U.S. 2000), checked 2026-11-09. “pre-empts state tort claims concerning a railroad's failure to maintain adequate warning devices at crossings where federal funds have participated in the devices' installation”
- CSX v. Easterwood (U.S. 1993), checked 2026-11-09. “only insofar as it asserts that CSX's train was traveling at an excessive speed”
- 49 U.S.C. 20106, checked 2026-11-09. “Nothing in this section shall be construed to preempt an action under State law seeking damages for personal injury, death, or property damage alleging that a party”
- 45 U.S.C. 51, checked 2026-11-09. “shall be liable in damages to any person suffering injury while he is employed by such carrier”
- 45 U.S.C. 51, checked 2026-11-09. “resulting in whole or in part from the negligence of any of the officers, agents, or employees of such carrier”
- A.R.S. 12-557, checked 2026-11-09. “does not owe a duty of care to a trespasser except to refrain from causing intentional, wilful or wanton injury”
- Federal Railroad Administration, checked 2026-11-09. “It is illegal to access private railroad property anywhere other than a designated pedestrian or roadway crossing.”
- Federal Railroad Administration, checked 2026-11-09. “Trespassing is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in the United States.”
- Federal Railroad Administration, checked 2026-11-09. “more than 500 trespass fatalities occur each year”
- A.R.S. 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- A.R.S. 12-821, checked 2026-11-09. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues”
- Arizona Department of Health Services, Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Banner Thunderbird Medical Center 5555 W. Thunderbird Rd, Glendale, AZ 85306 09/30/22 *09/26/26”
- A.R.S. 12-542, checked 2026-11-09. “there shall be commenced and prosecuted within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- Federal Railroad Administration, checked 2026-11-09. “Nationally, more than 2,000 incidents and 200 fatalities at grade crossings occur each year.”
- 49 CFR Part 234, Subpart E, checked 2026-11-09. “display the information necessary for the public to report an unsafe condition”