Indiana Motorist Seriously Injured After Collision at Canadian National Crossing
(Merrillville, Indiana – September 28, 2020)
An as-yet unidentified male motorist, believed to be about 60 years old, was flown to a South Bend, Indiana hospital after a collision which was thought to have occurred in Merrillville at an undetermined crossing. However, the train was not stopped until it had travelled about 10 miles from Merrillville. The early Monday morning crash occurred at about 1:43 AM CDT after the vehicle became lodged between two freight cars of a Canadian National freight train in northwestern Indiana.
Authorities were still trying to determine exactly where the train and motor vehicle collided, but an initial report was made by a witness at the 6900 block of Broadway in Merrillville, where he first reported debris at that crossing. The train finally stopped near Hobart, IN in Porter County when the conductor finally noticed the vehicle wedged between rail cars about 10 cars behind the locomotive.
CN operates about 35 trains daily through the double track corridor that allows maximum speeds of 60 mph. The victim was said to be suffering from severe head trauma and his vehicle was barely recognizable as such following the crash.