Two killed in South Dakota when SUV runs through crossing gate, derailing train

Two killed in South Dakota when SUV runs through crossing gate, derailing train

By Trains Staff | August 19, 2023

| Last updated on February 3, 2024


Occupants of vehicle killed; derailment causes train to hit grain elevator

A car crashed through a crossing gate at a grade crossing in Elkton, S.D., killing the occupants of the vehicle and derailing the train. Screenshot of image from KSFY-TV video

ELKTON, S.D. — Two people were killed Friday when their vehicle crashed through a crossing-gate arm and struck a moving train, setting the vehicle on fire and derailing the train into a grain elevator, the Mitchell Republic reports.

The incident occurred about 7 p.m. at a grade crossing on the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad at State Route 13 in Elkton, near the Minnesota state line and about 15 miles southeast of Brookings, S.D. The two occupants of the vehicle, a 2011 Kia Sorrento, were trapped in the vehicle and were unable to escape, the South Dakota Highway Patrol reports. Information on the occupants has not been released.

Images on the KELO website indicate at least a dozen railcars derailed. No injuries to the train crew were reported. The South Dakota Highway Patrol continues to investigate the incident.

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