A tragedy couldn’t prevent these boys from taking action in their community
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SUGAR CITY — When tragic things happen, you can still choose to make a positive difference in the community.
That’s what Dawson Jensen and his friends at Sugar-Salem High School learned after two of their classmates were killed in a traffic accident earlier this month.
Teagen Bradshaw and Tanner Nicol died after rear-ending a Kenworth fuel tanker stopped at a railroad crossing on U.S. Highway 20 in St. Anthony on Aug. 7.
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There was not an oncoming train, but state law requires the driver of the tanker to stop because they are hauling hazardous materials.
Teagen and Tanner were not wearing seat belts and died instantly.
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“It’s been really rough for me the last couple weeks. He was my (best) friend. Anywhere Teagen was, I was there with him,” Dawson Jensen tells EastIdahoNews.com.
Rather than letting the loss of their friends keep them down, they decided to look for ways to make this intersection safer for the community.
“After the accident, I got involved in talking to people about this crossing,” Dawson says. “I’ve had bus drivers, extended family members and people I’ve never met tell me stories about how they’ve had a close call (at this intersection).”
Teagen and Tanner’s crash was the third to occur at this intersection in the last year and a half, according to the Idaho Transportation Department. Most of the crashes that occur don’t involve actual trains.
“That’s a crossing we go through maybe two or three times a month. It’s not real active,” says Joey Haynes, General Manager of Eastern Idaho Railroad.
Road traffic is much greater. Due to its position, there is a lot of school bus traffic and Idaho law also requires school buses to stop at all railroad crossings.
“I called Fremont County School District and talked to their transportation director,” Bridger Stoddard, Dawson’s friend, says. “She told me they have nine buses that cross (the track) 27 times a day.”
Dawson and his friends worked closely with ITD and the Eastern Idaho Railroad to get state approval to make this railroad crossing exempt from the state law.
“We firmly believe in working with the community and we want to do what’s right,” Haynes said. “When (Dawson) reached out to us, we thought it would be a good move for the community to help with the healing process, and hopefully, prevent anything like that from happening again.”
The boys request, it seems, was well timed. Every month, Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter selects a city in Idaho to become capitol for a day, where he interacts with people in communities across the state. Otter paid a visit to Sugar-Salem High School Friday as part of his “Capitol for a Day” tour.
Dawson and Bridger, along with their friends Bridger Vickers, Mason Flanary and Briar Leishman, presented their research to Otter ahead of his planned speech to Sugar City residents.
“We put it all out there. How we were friends with Teagen, our situation, what we wanted changed and how we wanted to change it,” Bridger Stoddard says. “When he got up on stage, the first thing he said was that he was going to go ahead and exempt the track. That was a great feeling for all of us. It was awesome.”
The exemption means tankers hauling hazardous materials, school buses and other commercial vehicles are now only required, just like any other vehicle, to stop at the crossing if there is an oncoming train.
“‘Capitol for a Day’ gives people an opportunity to talk directly with decision-makers. The governor was (very) interested in the research (the boys) had done,” Jon Hanian, Governor Otter’s Press Secretary tells EastIdahoNews.com. “Given all the decision-makers were there at the same time, it cut through (the formal process usually required to make that happen), and we were able to resolve this issue fairly quickly.”
Haynes says all the paperwork has been complete to make this crossing officially exempt. Four metal signs with the word “Exempt” will be posted at the crossing within the next week.
“I’m really proud of these young men for stepping up and making a positive thing out of a heart-breaking situation. For them to step up and take action is a great thing,” Haynes says.
“This is for Teagen and Tanner. It makes me feel really happy,” Dawson says.