Just some math for anyone who wants to compare.
I could see roughly a mile (0.7) down the road earlier. It's a clear day, the sun wasn't in my eyes, and I was wearing my glasses. I also used a straight stretch of road with no obstructions. I noted where a car with its headlights on was and then noted my odometer when I passed that point. This stretch of road is extremely familiar to me, as I drive it to and from work every day, so I know where every single sign, mailbox, and house is.
Assuming the train has brighter lights, not to mention the horn, we'll use exactly one mile as a reference point.
If a train is traveling at 90 mph, it will take 40 seconds to go from the farthest visual point possible (for me) under perfect conditions to the crossing.
At 70 mph, it takes 51.4 seconds, a gain of 11 seconds. Count to 11 using the 1-Mississippi, 2-Mississippi method and see just how much longer 11 seconds is.
Now, a fully loaded dump truck takes approximately 35-40 seconds to speed up to 25 mph, and that's on a completely level grade. (Source: Good friend with a current CDL)
I'm not going to take it upon myself to decide if the dump truck driver was at fault or not. I wasn't there. I feel bad for everyone involved. I just wanted to toss out some math so we can stop assuming it's super easy for anyone to avoid this situation simply because we're used to fast and easy acceleration in our compact cars and sedans.
