KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The widow of a truck driver whose truck was on the tracks as an Amtrak passenger train crossed an intersection has settled a lawsuit with the railroad company in charge of maintaining the crossing.
Just before 1 p.m. on June 27, 2022, the Amtrak Southwest Chief was heading northbound through rural north-central Missouri when it struck a dump truck crossing an intersection near Mendon, Missouri.
The train was operating near its maximum allowable speed of 90 mph on the track, which was owned and maintained by BNSF Railway Company.
LINK | KSHB 41 coverage of 2022 Amtrak crash in Mendon
The collision derailed the train and significantly damaged the dump truck.
The driver of the dump truck, Billy Dean Barton II, died at the scene. Three passengers on the train also died in the incident.
Erin Barton, the widow of Billy Dean Barton, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against several defendants in 2022. After a years-long court process, Erin Barton and BNSF reached a confidential settlement in the case on March 20, 2025.
The terms of the settlement were not publicly available. By reaching the settlement, Erin Barton and surviving members of Billy Dean Barton’s family waived their right to a jury and the right to appeal.
The crash highlighted the condition of many rural Missouri railroad crossings, including the angle of approach roadways and the lack of enhanced safety features like crossing arms, lights and alarms.
Watch KSHB 41's Mendon special that aired in June 2023 in the video player below.
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