Speed, Slick Roads Contributing Factors in Crash

Crash photoA Fulton woman refused treatment at the scene of a Wednesday crash on State Road 331 south of Illion Street where her pickup truck slid into an oncoming train car. Tracia Blackman, 42, was northbound on 331, saw that the crossing arms were down indicating a train was approaching and tried to stop. Her 1998 Ford F-150 slid on the snow-covered roadway, according to the crash report from the Marshall County Police. Blackman’s truck hit the down railroad crossing arm and struck the first engine of the train on the right side. The truck then went into a clockwise spin and came to rest on the south side of the railroad tracks facing northeast. The crash report indicates speed and slick roads were both contributing factors. The train engineer told the investigating officer he saw the truck go through the stop arm and hit the engine. That’s when he applied the emergency braking system and stopped the train.