By Brian Boyce
TERRE HAUTE — A 7-year-old Riley Elementary School student remained in the ICU of Riley Hospital in Indianapolis Monday after a van/train collision Friday evening in which the girl’s grandmother was killed and another child passenger was injured.
According to a Vigo County Sheriff’s Department accident report, a westbound minivan driven by Carolyn Davidson, 62, was struck by a northbound train while crossing tracks on Feree Drive near McDaniel Road about 7 p.m. Friday.
Davidson was reported dead at the scene.
Her granddaughters were passengers in the vehicle, according to the report. One girl, an 11-year-old, was transported to Terre Haute Regional Hospital where she was treated and released, according to Lori Carson, a spokeswoman for the family.
The 7-year-old was airlifted to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis where she remained Monday, showing “much improvement,” Carson said.
Both girls attend Riley Elementary School.
According to the sheriff’s department report, the train is owned by the Indiana Railroad Company.
The report describes Feree Drive as having three sets of “ungated railroad tracks,” including those on which the accident occurred.
The speed limit for trains in this area is 40 mph, according to information in the report. Railroad officials told deputies that the train’s dowloaded “black box” clocked the train at 39 mph with the whistle blowing about 20 seconds prior to contact with the Davidson vehicle.
However, two witnesses who said they had been sitting on a nearby porch told deputies they did not hear a horn until “the same time that we heard the crash,” and “there was no horn prior to that,” the report says. The witnesses also told deputies they believe the train was traveling much faster.
According to the report, the 11-year-old girl said she was in the front passenger seat when she saw the train coming but had no time to speak. The girl also told deputies she did not hear a horn. She said that her grandmother gasped when she saw the train just before the collision.
The sheriff’s department report stated that both children were riding in the front passenger’s seat and were not wearing seatbelts.
The accident is still under investigation.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
