Screenshot via WABC/Andrea Hood-Brumfield
- A sheriff’s deputy received minor injuries after his vehicle was struck by a train in Texas on Tuesday.
- The railroad crossing sign was reportedly functioning at the time of the crash, but the deputy made the decision to cross the railroad tracks.
- The deputy’s vehicle flipped over after it struck the moving train.
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A sheriff’s deputy received minor injuries after his vehicle was struck by a train in Midland, Texas on Tuesday.
Two Midland County Sheriff’s Office SUVs attempted to drive around a slow-moving, west-bound train at a railroad crossing when an east-bound train struck the lead vehicle.
The west-bound train had offloaded some cars and was trying to get out of the deputy’s way, Midland County sheriff Gary Painter said during an interview with KWES. The west-bound train; however, blocked the deputy’s view of the incoming east-bound train that was moving "at a high rate of speed."
The railroad crossing sign was functioning at the time of the crash, but the deputy made the decision to cross the railroad tracks, Midland Reporter-Telegram reported.
The deputy’s vehicle flipped over after it was struck by the moving train. Video footage from a witness showed the scene:
The deputy behind the impacted vehicle pulled the injured deputy through his windshield, according to KWES. The deputy who was hit sustained minor injuries and was taken to a hospital.
The deputies were initially responding to a call of a baby who wasn’t breathing, KWES reported. (The baby is alright, Painter told KWES.)
The Federal Railroad Administration estimated in 2015 that motorists are 20 times more likely to die in a collision with a train than with a vehicle. Most of the collisions involved trains traveling less than 30 miles per hour.
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Source: Business Insider – dchoi@businessinsider.com (David Choi)