MAY 22, 2015
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, INDIANA
A minivan collided with a freight train about 2 p.m. Friday
west of West Point, sending two people to the hospital.
The driver of the minivan, Fancy Abernathy, 19, of
Lafayette, and her passenger, Jacob Hornbeck, 21, of Lafayette, had scrapes and
cuts from the impact, said Tippecanoe County sheriff's Deputy Thad Miller.
They were transported to St. Elizabeth East hospital for
non life-threatening injuries.
Abernathy was traveling north on West Tippecanoe County Line
Road and told Miller she did not hear or see the westbound freight train,
Miller said. The train struck the back quarter panel of the minivan on the
passenger side, pushing it into the field at the northwest corner of the
intersection.
Two puppies in the van were found safe at the scene.
This is the second vehicle struck by a train at this
particular intersection this year. Rachael Logan, 34, of West Point was killed
at this intersection on March 6.
Unfortunately, there is a small number of drivers who are
refusing to wait for a train to pass and they are trying to beat it, with often
tragic consequences.
It's not worth the game of chicken. The two, three or four minutes you will spend
waiting for the train to pass is not greater than the time spent injuring
yourself or your vehicle, or even loss of life.