Two Killed and One Injured at Dangerous, Unguarded Indiana Crossing
(Edinburgh, Indiana – October 9, 2018)
Two men died and a woman was flown to an Indianapolis hospital with serious injuries about midnight early Tuesday. The individuals’ SUV was struck on the driver’s side and knocked 20 feet into a ditch by a Louisville & Indiana freight train at the unguarded crossing of L&I tracks and Bartholomew County Road 900 North.
Local firefighters, one of whom was on the scene within a minute of receiving the call, worked together to extricate the two male victims from the wreckage of the vehicle. The female victim was knocked from the vehicle by the force of the crash. First responders found her lying on the ground, unconscious.
Authorities would not release name, age or address of any of the victims pending notification of next of kin.
The railroad crossing accommodates a daily average of 10 L&I trains at a maximum speeds of 49 mph. The crossing is not equipped with any active warning devices, such as lights and gates, to provide an active warning to motorists of approaching trains.
The tragic collision was the first crash recorded there.
The L&IRR is one of six regional railroads owned and operated by the Chicago-based Anacostia Rail Holding Group.
