WGNO

82-year-old man killed after driving in front of train in Slidell

SLIDELL, La. – An 82-year-old man was killed after he ignored warnings and drove onto train tracks in front of an Amtrak passenger train in Slidell.

The train slammed into the man’s pickup truck and knocked it into a marsh on the side of the tracks near the Carr Drive crossing just before 7 p.m. on September 6, according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.

An investigation led to evidence that the man had driven his truck past crossing barriers and into to path of the train, which was headed south and carrying 51 passengers.

The man was ejected from his truck and pronounced dead on the scene.

None of the passengers on the train reported injuries, and the train was able to proceed along its route, according to the STPSO.

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