Giant Team's John Degenkolb of Germany wins the 113th edition of the Paris-Roubaix cycling classic, a 253,5 kilometer (157,51 mile) one day race, of which 51,1 kilometers (31,7 miles) are run on cobblestones, at the velodrome in Roubaix, northern France, on Sunday, April 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler) (The Associated Press)
PARIS – France's national rail company SNCF has filed a lawsuit after cyclists on a prominent race crossed train tracks just seconds before a high-speed train whizzed past.
SNCF announced the move in a statement Monday, saying the incident during the Paris-Roubaix race Sunday in northern France was "irresponsible" and the cyclists could have been hit by the TGV train.
After some of the riders crossed the tracks 162 kilometers into the race, a railway crossing gate went down, nearly hitting one rider and forcing other cyclists to wait for the train to pass.
The lawsuit does not name anyone, but leaves it up to investigators to determine how it happened and who was responsible.
SNCF says it spends 30 million euros a year to try to reduce accidents at railway crossings.
Fox News' "Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world.