(La Porte, IN) - A City of La Porte snow plow truck was demolished after being struck by a freight train on Tuesday morning.
Fortunately, however, the dump truck driver, David Leslie, jumped off the machine before the collision and was not injured.
“He’s shaken up, but he’s o.k.,” reassured his wife, Lori.
At about 10 a.m., police were called to the Norfolk Southern crossing at 2nd Street and Weller Avenue on the city’s west side where La Porte Street Department Director Jeff Batchelor said Leslie was out scraping the roads and laying salt on the streets to clear out leftover snow and ice from this past weekend's storm.
Batchelor said he was using the plow beneath the frame of the truck when the blade caught one of the rails while venturing over the rough crossing. The blade then dug into the ground, becoming stuck between the rail and asphalt.
Batchelor said the driver tried backing up to pull the plow out, but the rear tires on the dump truck were unable to gain enough traction on the snow-packed, icy pavement. Leslie also tried rocking the truck by quickly shifting from reverse to drive multiple times but the tires kept spinning. He then notified his supervisor about the situation.
The Street Department Director noted that attempts were being made by the 911 dispatch center to notify the railroad so as to stop oncoming traffic until the truck was removed when Leslie spotted the eastbound train approaching.
He then climbed out of the truck's cab and ran before the collision happened less than a minute later.
“We couldn’t get it done quick enough to stop it from hitting the snow plow,” he said.
The plow on the front of the machine, along with the bed carrying the salt, were among the parts separated from the truck by the impact.
“It was a hard hit. There’s no doubt about it,” said La Porte Police Chief Paul Brettin.
Batchelor said Leslie had gone through about half of the salt in the dump portion of the truck before the collision. As a result, there was not enough weight on the back tires to help the treads gain enough traction on the slick pavement to pull the plow out.
While at the crash site, Mrs. Leslie said she was very upset but grateful.
“I’m very shaken. Very shaken, but I’m glad he’s ok,” she said.
