3 P.M. UPDATE:
EDINBURGH — Two people were killed and a third seriously injured when a train and a sports utility vehicle collided at a railroad crossing.
Indiana State Police are continuing to investigate the 11:47 p.m. Monday accident along County Road 900N, about a mile east of U.S. 31, next to the Hisada America Inc. facility in the Edinburgh Industrial Park area.
The Bartholomew County Coroner’s office identified the victims as Joshua Lee Kelso, 30, Cloverdale and Justice Marie Llewellyn, 20, Franklin, who were pronounced dead at the scene by Deputy Coroner Charlie DeWeese.
Both died from blunt force trauma sustained in the impact of the collision, said Deputy Coroner Jay Frederick. Toxicology tests in the case are expected to take about two weeks.
A third occupant in the SUV, Myranda Akers, 26, believed to be from the Edinburgh area, was ejected from the vehicle and found lying near it, Indiana State Police said. She was airlifted to Indiana University Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis.
State police said a red 1996 Jeep Cherokee driven by Kelso was traveling east on County Road 900N when he disregarded the stop sign at the railroad crossing and drove into the path of a southbound Louisville and Indiana train which consisted of two locomotives. The locomotives were not pulling any train cars.
The locomotives collided with the driver’s side of the vehicle, pushing the Jeep down the tracks before it left the tracks and rolled over before stopping, said Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, Indiana State Police spokesman.
Llewellyn was a backseat passenger in the vehicle and Akers was a front-seat passenger, Wheeles said.
The train engineer, Jeremy R. Peacock, 35, Scottsburg, and the train conductor, Leon A. Fuetini, 26, Shelbyville, Kentucky, were not injured in the collision.
The two locomotives were traveling at about 49 mph when it struck the SUV, according to German Township Chief Matt Lynch.
2:10 P.M. UPDATE: The Bartholomew County Coroner’s office has identified the victims in an SUV that collided with a train at 11:47 p.m. Monday night in Edinburgh.
A man and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene by Deputy Coroner Charlie DeWeese. The coroner’s office has identified them as Joshua Lee Kelso, 30, Cloverdale and Justice Marie Llewellyn, 20, Franklin.
Both died from blunt force trauma sustained in the impact of the collision, the coroner’s office said. Toxicology tests in the case are expected to take about two weeks.
A third occupant who was ejected from the vehicle and airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital has not yet been identified by Indiana State Police.
ORIGINAL STORY
EDINBURGH — Indiana State Police are investigating an accident in which a train and an SUV collided at a railroad crossing near Edinburgh.
Two people were killed and a third person was seriously injured when an SUV was hit by a train at 11:47 p.m. Monday on West County Road 900N at North County 250W, according to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.
German Township Volunteer Fire Department and Edinburgh Fire Department were sent to the accident scene because it occurred on the boundary line between both departments, said German Township Chief Matt Lynch.
A German Township firefighter arrived within one minute of being sent to the scene, Lynch said.
He located an SUV with heavy damage to its driver side about 150 feet south of the roadway and 20 feet east of the railroad tracks, Lyncgh said.
The first arriving firefighter found two occupants who were entrapped in the vehicle and appeared to be dead. A third occupant of the vehicle was found alert and lying on the ground next to the SUV, Lynch said.
Columbus Fire Department firefighters worked to extricate the two occupants who were trapped in the vehicle and determined to have died.
A Lifeline helicopter transported the third occupant to an Indianapolis hospital, Lynch said.
The condition of the person, and the identities of all three people, are unknown at this time.
The train, which was made up of two locomotives, was traveling south going about 49 mph, Lynch said.
The crossing only has a stop sign, and does not have gates or warning flashing lights. Lynch said firefighters are reminding motorists there are several trains traveling north on the tracks, but also a few traveling south each day.
Motorists need to stop and look in both directions for approaching trains each time a railroad crossing is approached, Lynch said.
“It is just not worth trying to beat a train across the tracks,” Lynch said.
Indiana State Police have said they will be releasing information about the accident later today.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
