LONGMEADOW— The death of a Department of Public Works (DPW) employee at a railroad crossing on Birnie Road is currently being investigated.

Warren Cowles, 59, known as “Cowlesie” to the department, was killed on Mar. 14 at 4 p.m. when the snow-plow he was driving was hit by an Amtrak train that was plowing the tracks on its way to Springfield.

According to a press release by Town Manager Stephen Crane, the initial finding during the investigation is that this is a tragic accident. According to Crane himself, such an accident was likely caused due to poor visibility – the result of the snowstorm.

Despite the initial findings, a complete investigation is being conducted by the Longmeadow Police and the Massachusetts State Police.

According to death certificates, there have been three other deaths at that same railroad crossing. On May 20, 1981, Peggy Eyer and Debra Frank, both 25, were killed when a train hit the car they were riding in. On Dec. 10, 1982, Francais Desjarlais, 59, a WWII vet was also killed when a train hit the pickup truck he was driving.

Unlike another crossing near the DPW building, the one where Cowles died has no gate because it is considered a low-traffic area.

“There’s no traffic controls at the crossing,” Crane told Reminder Publications.

There are two crossbuck “railroad crossing” signs and a stop sign at the crossing on Birnie Road.

“The issue [railroad crossing gate] has never come up in the four years I’ve been here,” said Crane. “I’m confident that we are going to have that discussion with Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration and whoever the powers that be that regulate these things are.”

Crane has now been given the task by the Longmeadow Board of Selectmen with finding a solution to the Birnie Road crossing so such tragedies will be prevented in the future.

“There’s only a farm field on the other side of the tracks,” said Crane. “It’s a very short road with nothing around it. So, I don’t know if there’s a threshold you have to meet to install those crossing control devices.”

He has been talking to people in town such as the Emergency Personnel Team in order to get an answer as to when, and how, the railroad crossing can be fixed. When asked how much it would cost to install a railroad crossing gate, Crane said he did not know.

“I basically said ‘We need to find these answers, go figure it out’,” said Crane.

According to Crane, Cowles was a beloved member of the community. While there was another accidental death in 2015, it was a contractor working for the town. This time it is someone well known who will be missed by many in Longmeadow including the Town Manager himself.  

“It’s just a lot more closer to home when it’s an employee who I’ve gotten to know in the time I’ve been here,” said Crane.