DAVENPORT, N.D. - A trucker who didn't hear or see an oncoming train was not seriously injured this morning when the cab of his semi was struck by the train at a rural crossing.
The collision happened at about 11:30 a.m., when the trucker delivering a grain bin to a nearby farmstead didn't notice the 18-car Red River Valley and Western train heading north at a crossing with Cass County Road 6 roughly five miles north of Davenport, Cass County Sheriff's Deputy Matt Giddings said.
The truck driver heading east, following the farmer who bought the new bin, was able to escape the cab of his truck after it was hit on the passenger side and appeared to have just minor injuries, Giddings said.
The name of the driver will not be released until later today, Giddings said. The investigation is ongoing but the deputy said he's unlikely to face charges.
The train was travelling at its speed limits for the area, about 25 mph, and the truck was going about 45 mph, Giddings said. Crew on the train said they blew their whistles approaching the crossing, he said.
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After the collision, the front engine of the train separated from the other cars and drove the trailer and the grain bin about 100 yards north of the marked but unprotected crossing of the gravel road.
Giddings said the cab of the truck caught fire in the collision, which took about 25 minutes to extinguish.
"The driver's very lucky he made it out," he said.
The deputy said he was not sure how long it would take to clear the track. The train was hauling grain from Davenport to Durbin, N.D., he said.
The driver was taken to a Fargo hospital, Giddings said. The conductor of the train wasn't injured.
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