Metro Transit: 1 Dead After Car Collides With Light-Rail Train
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 55-year-old man died Friday evening, authorities say, after his car collided with a light-rail train and was pushed about 500 feet down a south Minneapolis track while on fire.
Bruce Howard of Metro Transit said the crash happened around 6:30 p.m. when the man tried to drive under the gate arm and was struck by a northbound train near 26th Street and Hiawatha Avenue.
The driver was the only person in the car and the only one injured in the incident. His name has not been released.
The train operator involved in the crash is on leave, which is standard procedure while investigators determine when the operator saw the car and when the brakes were applied. Generally at that intersection, trains travel at speeds of 40-50 mph.
The crash disrupted light-rail trains that night. According to Metro Transit's website, buses replaced trains between the Franklin and 46th Street station.
Metro Transit is investigating the crash.
