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CSX freight train splits semi on tracks near Indianpolis

Eric Kulisch
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(Photo: Pendleton/Falls Creek Township Fire Department/Facebook)

A CSX freight train slammed into a tractor trailer stuck on the tracks about 15 miles northeast of Indianapolis, according to footage of the accident obtained by WISH-TV from a local bystander.

The Pendleton/Falls Creek Township Fire Department said in a Facebook post that the collision occurred Friday evening. The train pushed the cab down the track a couple hundred yards from the point of impact and both the truck and the train caught fire. Crews were able to extinguish the fire and no one was injured because the driver got out of the truck before the impact. 

Witnesses told local news outlets that road construction had caused traffic and that construction workers tried to move the truck off the tracks before the train arrived.


18 Comments

  1. Thomas cleary

    I believe that the truck got hung up on the tracks. Likely the trailer landing gear. Caused by not cranking up the gear fully when he picked up the trailer. Or grade crossing with to much pitch on the road.
    An OTR driver would not cross a RR track without being able to clear it.
    Since he got out of the truck before impact, tells me was not able to move the rig
    .
    .

    1. Taylor

      Yes, that is what happened. He had been there for awhile and construction workers nearby were trying to help him off the tracks, but then the train came.

  3. Jacqueline.

    The trucker should have known to not cross the tracks til he could fully clear them. That is why we are suppose to wait 20 feet from them until there is enough room to cross them completely before advancing. The traffic should have been his first clue to not move.

  4. Stacie O

    Glad to know trucker is okay. Vehicles fail or things happen. Hopefully you stay safe from now on. From an OTR trucker’s daughter; previous shipping clerk & cashier presently. Thanks to all you guys & women out there working so hard still. Stay safe everyone!

  5. Doug

    You know you can put gates and flashers up at crossings all day long but thats still not going to stop idiots from trying to beat trains. They will still do it.

Comments are closed.

Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won Environmental Journalist of the Year from the Seahorse Freight Association in 2014 and was the group's 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist by the Seahorse Freight Association. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com