Driver dies in car-train accident
News editor
A Hutchinson man died at 12:40 p.m. Sunday when his car slid underneath a railroad crossing arm and was struck by a train on K-15 at Durham.
Nathan Parson, 29, was driving a 1990 Geo south through Durham. Short skid marks and witness statements indicated Parson was attempting to stop when the car went under the cross arm and onto the tracks, Sheriff Robert Craft said.
“It’s a low enough car that the windshield kicked the crossing arm up,” Craft said.
A westbound Union Pacific train hit the Geo and came to a stop, blocking the highway.
A Durham first responder arrived within minutes and radioed Tampa ambulance that the man appeared to be “code black,” meaning a death had occurred. Deputy coroner JoAnn Knak later pronounced Parson dead at the scene.
Craft said officers found no evidence what might have distracted Parson before the accident. He ruled out cell phone usage as a cause.