MARCH 26, 2015
SPARTA, RANDOLPH COUNTY, ILLINOIS
A mother and her two-year-old daughter were seriously
injured in a car-train collision that occurred Thursday morning in Sparta,
according to Randolph County authorities.
An article published in the Randolph County Herald Tribune
identifies the woman as Perryville resident Kelly Rubel, 22.
According to the Tribune, Rubel was traveling northbound on
Chester Street in a Chrysler PT Cruiser when it was struck by a Canadian
National Railway train at a crossing near Casey’s General Store.
Sparta Police Department Assistant Chief Jeremy Kempfer, who
is conducting the investigation into the accident, said Rubel disregarded the
flashing crossing lights and pulled in front of the train.
The vehicle was dragged roughly 150 yards down the tracks
before the train came to a stop. The crossing in question has flashing lights,
but no gates.
“The lights were activated at the time of the accident,”
Kempfer said. “She’s going to be cited.”
Kempfer said Rubel will also be cited with failure to secure
a child safety seat.
Rubel was transported to Sparta Community Hospital via
MedStar Ambulance, while the toddler was directly transported via ARCH Air
Medical Services to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center in St. Louis.
Rubel was later transferred to St. Louis University
Hospital.
The Sparta Police Department is handling the accident
investigation, while the Illinois State Police is conducting an accident
reconstruction.
“That’s the first time we’ve had anything like that happen
at that railroad crossing,” said Sparta Police Chief Sean Lukes, when asked if
his department had any prior incidents at that crossing.
Investigators with Canadian National Railway, which owns the
train, will be conducting their own investigation.
Patrick Waldron, public affairs manager for Canadian
National, told Pete Spitler Editor of the Herald Tribune newspaper, the six-car
train was heading southbound from Baldwin and hauling mixed freight with two
locomotives.
“It’s what we call a ‘local’ train,” he said, adding the
accident happened about 10:13 a.m. “My understanding is Sparta was on scene and
it’s my belief it is under investigation by Sparta PD.”
When asked the status of the train’s engineer, Waldron said,
“no other injuries were reported.”
The Sparta Fire Department was paged to provide extrication
of the victims.
The Sparta incident wasn’t the only train-related accident
on Thursday. The Illinois State Police District 11 office said in a news
release that the driver of a 2006 Dodge truck was fatally injured in a
collision on Route 143 at Railroad Crossing road near the Madison/Bond County
line.
The driver’s name was being withheld by authorities pending
notification of relatives.
According to the release, the driver drove around lowered
crossing gates and entered the railroad right-of-way when the collision
occurred.
The time of the accident was 2:13 p.m., four hours after the
incident in Sparta.
Source: http://www.randolphcountyheraldtribune.com