As these factors indicate, the railroad doesn’t need to have created the hazard to be responsible. Also, hazard may depend on circumstances so that a crossing is extra-hazardous at some times and not at other times. A successful claim against a railroad for a hazard requires proof that the railroad knew or should have known that conditions at the crossing created an accident risk. If a crossing has been extra-hazardous for a long enough time, the railroad can be found negligent.
Railroads must take precautions to protect people at extra-hazardous crossings. Each crossing may require a different set of measures, but typical measures include the following:

• Crossing arms
• Extra lighting
• Removal of visual obstructions
• Warning alarms
• Ordering trains to slow at the crossing

While railroad safety precautions must ordinarily meet state and federal regulatory levels, the railroads must sometimes exceed those standards at extra-hazardous crossings. If you are injured at a rail crossing, contact a personal injury attorney with experience in railroad cases. The attorney should be able to examine the circumstances of the accident and advise you as to whether the crossing meets the requirements of the extra-hazardous crossing doctrine.