A driver was killed Tuesday afternoon when his pickup truck and a train collided on the tracks that run parallel to Kathleen Roads between Deeson and Spivey Roads.
It happened at the Kathleen Tire Shop at 3:25 p.m.
Polk County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Horstman said there were no barriers there because it was private property belonging to the tire dealer. She said preliminary reports indicate the driver was trying to reach the tire dealer when the crash occurred. The driver’s identity has not been released.
The freight train was not carrying any cargo, and sheriff’s officials do not believe there were any passengers in the pickup truck.
The train blocked several roads leading west from the tracks. The PCSO traffic unit was on site throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Traffic was reopened at around 8:20 p.m., Google Maps shows.
In another accident at the same location in 2015, a CSX train collided with a semi-truck pulling a car-transporting trailer. No one was injured in that accident, although several brand-new cars were destroyed, The Ledger reported. The driver of the semi-truck was charged in that accident.
