Two Indiana Motorists Seriously Injured after Train Collision at TPW Crossing
(Kentland, Indiana – December 3, 2024)
Two motorists have been hospitalized after a collision in Newton County involving a train, semi-truck, and passenger vehicle. The collision was reported yesterday afternoon at around 12:30 pm and occurred at the intersection of US 41 and US 24 in the town of Kentland, Indiana.
According to initial reports from the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, a northbound semi, driven by a 36-year-old man from Addison, Illinois, had stopped at the light before entering the intersection where it was struck by a westbound traveling train. The impact pushed the semi into a passenger car that had been sitting in the turn lane waiting to turn. The driver of the passenger car was a 17-year-old girl from Chicago.
In a statement to the public, the sheriff’s office said that “During the crash the semi and passenger car were pulled approximately 60 feet from the intersection.”
First responders transported the semi driver to Iroquois Memorial Hospital in Watseka, Illinois, and flew the 17-year-old driver to an Indianapolis hospital for treatment. The identities and current conditions of both drivers have yet to be released by public officials.
Based on Federal Railroad Administration data, the railroad crossing where this collision took place is owned and operated by the Toledo, Peoria, and Western Railway (TPW). According to TPW submitted records, this main line crossing sees a daily average of 3 trains traveling at speeds up to 25 miles per hour and intersects across six traffic lanes. There have been seven prior collisions at this crossing with the two most recent in October and December of 2018. While the TPW crossing is equipped with three bridged flashing light structures that extend over the road to visually warn motorists of an oncoming train; the crossing lacks any gates to block motorists from physically entering the crossing when a train is approaching. It is also still unknown if the flashing light structures were functioning properly at the time of the collision.
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating this collision.
