GRAYLING, MICHIGAN
This is what happened when a semi-truck drove into the path of a moving freight train this morning.
Police say the truck's driver did not look both ways before crossing the tracks. And say he's lucky to be alive and well.
It happened around 11:30 a.m. on Industrial Street in Grayling.
Police tell us a simple mistake caused the accident, and things could have ended much differently.
“He stopped but he didn't look and then he said once he crossed the railroad track he heard the horn and it was too late by that point,” said Arthur Clough of the Grayling Police Department.
The impact of the crash ripped the trailer from the truck hauling window frame products, leaving quite the mess for crews to clean up.
“The trailer was hauling about 35,000 pounds. They had just loaded up at Spring’s Window Manufacturing and it was just leaving at the time,” said Clough.
Those working in the area say the accident was a surprising start to the day.
“I was on my way to work and realized there was something going on and pulled up and saw the train had struck the semi and kind of got out and looked at the situation and saw it was pretty bad,” said John Dunn.
They say the road sees plenty of trucks crossing the tracks every day.
“We get probably a dozen or so trucks our week and then everything down here on the industrial road so there's a lot of trucks that go back and forth. I've been here five years and I've never seen anyone get struck on the tracks like this before,” said Dunn.
Thankfully the driver of the truck and operators of the train were not hurt in the crash.
Police are still investigating.