This is a good example of our lazy, irresponsible, agenda driven media and their disappearing reporting skills. A farmer says the crossing is dangerous because you can't see, but in 5 minutes of 3 videos the newspaper's report only shows the view of the opposite direction from which Amtrak was ruunning. Maybe because the view is clear of trees for at least a quarter of a mile in the direction the report refused to show.

[www.kansascity.com]

The farmer, to his credit, has been lobbying government and BNSF for years to improve his local train crossings. But they don't look any more dangerous than crossbucks crossings that make up half of all crossings. Maybe safer than average given the long sight lines.

He says brush blocks the view and made a Facebook video 2 weeks ago. It shows a train takes 7 seconds to reach the crossing after emerging behind trees that are 500' from the crossing. But he was a ways back from the crossing when videoing. If he got closer to the crossing that time would increase because of the angle of the view.

Most importantly, his video is looking opposite from the direction Amtrak came, so it was immaterial to this wreck.

There are no crossing signals. In the farmer's video his truck is facing south and there is not a stop sign. But northbound there is a stop sign. None of the newspaper's lengthy stories that I saw mentioned what direction yesterday's truck was moving. Another pertinent fact ignored by a 'news' outlet.

The farmer says the road is steep approaching the crossing. The railroad looks to be raised above the flood plain. He says it is a 9 foot rise and his video shows from the bottom of it. You can easily see the trains from that level. But that is from the other direction that Amtrak came from. No one thought to show the view from where Amtrak was coming from? Great reporting there.

This is a gravel road to serve a few fields and two houses. It turns and crosses the tracks again a mile up the tracks. If the crossing is too steep for the trucks, why don't they use the other crossing? Is it too steep? No reporter thought to ask? Or doesn't fit their narrative?

Best I can tell there are issues with the crossing, but perhaps typical for nearly half of all US crossings. We don't have the money to upgrade all of them. One of the two crossings on the road could be closed and the other improved. But the farmer will yell louder if they try and close this duplicate crossing.

3 reporters worked on this story, showing the farmer's video and 2 more videos totaling 5 minutes, but not once did they show the view yesterday's truck driver had. The most important and only relevant view to show. But the media doesn't bother with presenting both sides anymore. It's all about pushing whatever agenda they decide on.