Two people were killed Thanksgiving night when the vehicle they were in was hit by a Union Pacific train at a rural crossing south of 255th Street and east of U. S. Highway 169. The Miami County Sheriff’s Office says the accident occurred shortly after 6:00 Thursday evening at a railroad crossing near the intersection of Ridgeview and Wagstaff Roads, east of Hillsdale. The crossing has arms, bells and lights and it appears they were working at the time of the accident. A preliminary investigation found that the vehicle attempted to drive around the railroad crossing arms and got stuck in the crossing on the tracks.
The train hit the 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix with both occupants inside and pushed it down the tracks about a half mile. Just prior to the train stopping, the vehicle caught fire, along with the front end of the locomotive, trapping both occupants, who died at the scene. Believed to be an elderly couple from Spring Hill, but their identities have not been confirmed and will be completed through the pathologist.
Kelly said it appears the couple were visiting family in Miami County and had just left after having Thanksgiving Dinner. The Miami County Sheriff’s office is working with Union Pacific Railroad Police, as well as the Johnson County Sheriff’s office and its crime lab to determine all the details of the accident.
