Freight Train Hits Car With Woman Inside in Waterville, Maine

It was a scary scene that unfolded in Waterville, Maine on Monday when a freight train collided with an SUV, according to the Kennebec Journal.

The newspaper reports that a woman driving an SUV attempted to cross the tracks on Main Street after the crossing gates had already come down. As she crossed through the intersection, her vehicle was struck by a passing CSX freight train.

What happened to the SUV following the collision?

After the train collided with the vehicle, it was unable to stop immediately and continued to push the car sideways down the tracks for about the length of a football field, the KJ explained.

Chief Bill Bonney, of the Waterville Police Department, said in part about Monday's collision,

“The operator failed to stop for the gates and went in front of the train, and the train struck the vehicle and pushed it about 100 yards up the tracks. There were no injuries to the operator.”

Was anybody else hurt in the crash on Monday night?

In addition to the operator of the train not sustaining injuries, the woman driving the SUV also escaped unharmed which, considering she was hit by a moving freight train, is pretty remarkable.

Police closed that section of Main Street on Monday as a towing company worked to get to the SUV on the tracks by coming at it from the Chaplin Street side. Eventually the truck was able to get to the SUV and get it towed out of the way.

How far does the CSX rail system reach in Maine?

CSX Transportation is a rail freight company serving the eastern United States. In Maine, its network reaches as far north as Mattawamkeag, with a rail yard located near the site of the collision.

Always stop at train crossings when lights are flashing and/or the crossing arms are down across the roadway.