TROUP, TX — The Texas Department of Public Safety told the media that emergency crews responded to an accident involving a Union Pacific train and an SUV in Troup on Friday.
KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News
The accident occurred at about 3:09 p.m. on Friday afternoon, at the railroad crossing at Front Street in Troup. A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper identified the victim as Cynthia Strandberg of Tyler, Texas. According to DPS troopers, Strandberg apparently went around the crossing arms to enter the tracks. Officials determined that the vehicle was in reverse at the time of the collision.
KLTV reports:
A Department of Public Safety trooper says the vehicle, a black SUV, was pushed at least half a mile down the tracks. There was only one person in the vehicle and the victim was airlifted to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler. Her condition is currently unknown.
A witness says he saw a woman being pulled from the vehicle and loaded into the helicopter.
According to Union Pacific Railroad, the train was northbound on the track, headed to Little Rock, AR. The crew said that they sounded the whistle to warn the driver before the crash. Officials say that there are flashing signals with arms at the crossing and the signals appeared to be working at the time of the crash.
The incident remains under investigation at this time.
Blog post by Gordon & Elias, a FELA lawyer and Texas railroad injury lawyer who publishes train accidents and FELA legal news from across the United States.