May 14, 2008

A 69 year old Carbondale man has died after his wheelchair was struck by a freight train early Tuesday afternoon at the Walnut Street crossing in Carbondale.

The Carbondale Police Department was withholding the victim’s name until family could be contacted.

The 69 year old man attempted to cross the train track in front of a Canadian National Freight train which was traveling northbound on the tracks. An eyewitness to the incident said it appeared the man got stuck in the tracks and then was hit by the train.

Authorities said the crossing gates and warning lights were working properly. The train was blaring its horn as it approached the crossing and then came to a stop after striking the man.

The victim was taken to a Carbondale hospital but its unclear whether the victim died on the way to the hospital or in the emergency room.

For nearly two hours after the incident, authorities directed traffic around the accident scene so investigators could survey the site.

The Canadian Freight Train was traveling from Champaign to Fulton, KY.