(Hartford, Michigan – September 13, 2011)
A 19-year-old resident of Coloma, MI died just before (;00 P.M. Tuesday night when his 1997 Pontiac collided with Amtrak’s “Pere Marquette” passenger train at the crossing of 51st Avenue and CSX Railroad tracks just north of Hartford, MI.
Zachariah Zellmer, driving his 1997 Pontiac, was struck by the Amtrak train, travelling at 65 mph and carrying 72 passengers on its way from Chicago, IL to Grand Rapids, MI, and dragged beneath the locomotive for a considerable distance. Police said there were working lights and gates at the crossing.
