An accident at a Kansas City Southern Railway Co. crossing in September 2005 has inspired a federal lawsuit alleging the company has a practice of hiding and ignoring safety problems with its rail line.

Eric Hammer was driving his 1996 Ford Mustang in De Queen, Ark., on Sept. 28, 2005, when it was struck by a train at the Stillwell Street crossing. A suit filed last week says Hammer’s view was obstructed by objects within the railway’s right-of-way, that warning lights were not positioned appropriately and were malfunctioning and the train crew didn’t blow a horn sequence as requir...