ST. JOE, Ind. (ADAMS) – A pickup truck driver managed to exit his vehicle before it was struck by a train in DeKalb County on Monday morning.
The incident occurred at 7:30 a.m. in St. Joe, according to a press release from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.
The driver told police he was traveling south on Washington St. and intended to turn onto a side street. However, he made the turn too early, causing his truck to become stuck on the railroad tracks. As he was trying to find a phone number to contact the railroad, he heard a train approaching.
The train could not stop in time and collided with the truck. The train sustained no damage, and no one aboard was injured.
The following was issued by Sgt. D. Bergdall with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department:
On 12/30/24, the Dekalb Co. Sheriff’s Ofc. responded to the railroad crossing on Washington St. at
Railroad St. in St. Joe for the report of a truck vs a train property damage crash. I arrived on scene
and observed a white Nissan pickup with heavy damage, still setting partially on the North track with
the crossing arm down across the truck’s hood. There was also a stopped train on the South track,
blocking the crossing. I spoke with the driver of the truck who advised he was traveling South on
Washington St. and was crossing the railroad tracks. He advised he knows there to be a side street
(Railroad St.) that runs just South of the tracks and he thought he was turning onto it. The driver
advised he began his turn too early and became stuck on the South railroad track. He said he tried to
free his vehicle, but was unable to so he exited from it. The driver said he was trying to find the
phone number to the railroad when he heard an East bound train approaching. The driver advised
the train was unable to stop and struck his truck on the driver’s side and pushed it onto the crossing
to the North. He advised he was not in the truck at the time of the collision and was uninjured. The
CSX locomotive did not appear to have any damage. The locomotive’s conductor and engineer were
uninjured in the crash.
The DeKalb Co. Sheriff’s Office was assisted by: Concord Twp. Fire, Parkview Dekalb EMS, Dekalb
Central Communications
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