March 17, 2011 - Washington County, WI. - A man was killed on March 11 after a freight train slammed into his pickup truck on county Highway D in Washington County, JSOnline has reported.
According to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, the 50-year-old man, whose identity had not been disclosed to the public, was seen on the railroad tracks shortly before 4:45 a.m. The fatal accident happened less than a mile west of Highway 41.
A Canadian National Railway engineer who was traveling north stated he saw the man, who was traveling west, drive around the safety arms and stop on the railroad tracks, the Sheriff's Office in Washington County said.
The train, which was pulling 146 cars, was about 2,000 feet away from the crossing when the engineer realized the truck was in its path. The engineer proceeded to activate the emergency horn and the brakes.
However, the train could not stop in time to avoid crashing into the pickup truck. The impact pushed the truck 350 feet from the railroad crossing.
Authorities pronounced the man dead on the scene. He had resided in the Town of Wayne.
The rail line and Highway D were shut down for 5 hours while authorities combed through evidence. The crash is still under investigation.
According to crash statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 561 fatalities in 2009 because of traffic accidents in Wisconsin.
As a service to the residents of Wisconsin, our firm will frequently publish blogs about local traffic accidents. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents occurring in Wisconsin that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.
Common accidents include, but are not limited to:
- single-car accidents;
- accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
- accidents caused by distracted drivers or aggressive driving.
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