(August 22, 2026 -- Harvey, North Dakota)
Over the weekend, a man was tragically killed after being struck by a BNSF train while driving in rural North Dakota. The fatal crash took place in the afternoon of Saturday, August 22, just before 3 p.m. near Harvey, ND, at a BNSF Railway crossing on 35th Avenue NE.
The North Dakota State Patrol has identified the victim of the crash as 74-year-old Michael McCreary of Esmond. Authorities have confirmed that McCreary was driving his 2022 Chevrolet Silverado facing northbound over the 35th Avenue NE Crossing when his vehicle was hit by an eastbound BNSF train. He passed away because of injuries sustained in the crash, though it is unclear if he was pronounced dead at the scene or later.
The 35th Avenue NE Crossing is a public at-grade crossing located in Wells County. It sees an average of 15 trains per day traveling at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. The crossing where this collision occurred had no active warning devices, such as lights and gates, to alert motorists to an oncoming train. It is virtually certain that the installation of lights and gates at this crossing would have prevented this tragic loss of life. Studies conducted over fifty years ago confirm that lights and gates can drastically reduce the number of vehicle-train collisions by up to 96%.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the catastrophic collision.