ZEELAND TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Feb. 27, 2022) – A 24-year-old Grand Rapids man escaped injury when his SUV collided with the Pere Marquette Amtrak train east of Zeeland late on Friday night.
According to Ottawa County Sheriff’s Sergeant Michael Hallmeyer, deputies and first responders were dispatched around 11:30 PM to the railroad crossing on 80th Avenue near Chicago Drive. “Upon arrival, deputies determined a Ford Explorer had been southbound on 80th Avenue,” he said in a department statement. “The driver was looking at his cell phone when he crashed through the railroad crossing arms, which were done and activated. The Ford Explorer was then immediately struck by an eastbound Amtrak train. There was minor damage to the train, and it was able to continue on to Grand Rapids after being inspected by CSX personnel. No passengers were injured.”
The driver also escaped injury, but his vehicle sustained “extensive” damage, according to Hallmeyer, and the motorist was issued several civil citations for causing the collision.
The sergeant added that neither alcohol nor drugs appeared to be a factor in the crash.
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