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1 Hurt in Train, Rig Crash

Posted on: Saturday, 11 March 2006, 12:00 CST

By Steven Henshaw, Reading Eagle, Pa.

Mar. 11--A Norfolk Southern train hit a tractor-trailer Friday morning after the rig driver tried unsuccessfully to stop the vehicle at a rail crossing on Route 724 in Cumru Township, police said.

The driver, Marc Dragan, 48, of Loves Park, Ill., suffered a head injury and was in fair condition in Reading Hospital, officials said.

"He claimed he saw the light and was attempting to stop, but he didn't get stopped before he was on the tracks," Patrolman Paul Miller said.

The accident was reported about 10:15 by a Southern Berks Ambulance crew that was stopped at the crossing in the opposite direction the rig was traveling, Miller said.

Crew members pulled Dragan from the overturned cab, Miller said.

"Traffic in the eastbound lanes already had stopped," Miller said. "They (the ambulance crew) saw him (the rig) coming and thought he was going to stop.

"All of the sudden he was on the cross and the train hit him."

It took about six hours to clear the wreckage, and Route 724 was closed from just east of Interstate 176 to Gibraltar until shortly after 4 p.m.

Miller gave this account:

The crossing signals were red, indicating a train was near, when Dragan's westbound rig approached the crossing.

The train, made up of two engines and three cars, was being operated by John Levandowski, 52, Sinking Spring. He was not injured.

The impact separated the cab from its empty trailer. The cab, with Dragan still inside, was upended and pushed into a nearby utility pole on the west side of the tracks.

The train was traveling about 25 mph, Miller said.

Miller said Dragan was woozy when interviewed soon after the crash. The patrolman intends to speak with Dragan again.

Miller said he had not yet determined who employed Dragan or where he was headed.

An investigation continues.

Matthew W. Laga, a mechanic with Lift Inc., Bernville, said he was driving from Birdsboro to service forklifts at The Water Guy, a nearby water bottling and distribution business, when he saw rescuers help Dragan from the rig.

Laga said people at the water business felt the impact.

Rudy Husband, a Norfolk Southern spokesman, said the crash did not disrupt service on the line because it is a bypass route with low traffic. The route mainly serves industrial customers in the Reading area.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Reading Eagle, Pa.

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Source: Reading Eagle

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