5 killed in collision between train and vehicle in Gary, Indiana
Five people were killed Wednesday night after a collision between a train and a vehicle in Gary, Indiana.
Just after 10 p.m., the South Shore Line eastbound train coming from Chicago 133 was stopped just west of Miller Station after the crash.
According to South Shore Line President Mike Noland, the train with 32 passengers was approaching the intersection of U.S .12/20 and East 7th Avenue/Utah Street when a vehicle with five occupants traveling southbound on 7th Avenue went around the gates and into the train's path.
The Gary Police Department confirmed all five people inside the vehicle were ejected, and were pronounced dead at the scene. The five people were all part of the same family.
Late Thursday, the Lake County, Indiana Coroner's office released the identifies of the five people killed.
There were three men — De'Mario Craig, 24; Maurice Parrish, 20; and Bryon Towns, 21 — and two women — Sherise Parrish, 20; and Latianna King, 20. The coroner's office said all five victims lived in the 4000 block of Harrison Street in Gary, and all died of multiple blunt force injuries.
Towns' father said he was still processing the tragedy Thursday night.
"It ain't going to probably hit me until I go home and go to sleep, and then everything will come out in the middle of the night, and that's one of the things that I'm trying my best to work on, because when I'm not busy, that's when it's going to really hit me," said Howard Hawkins.
Hawkins said one of the women killed in the crash was Towns' girlfriend, and they left behind a baby daughter.
Altonio Goldsby also was not doing well after finding out five of his family members died in the crash. He said the victims were his niece's cousins.
"I'm really tore up," said Goldsby. "I'm so drained from last night."
Goldsby said he was unsure of where the victims were coming from, but he believes they were headed home, because they live near the intersection of U.S. Route 20 and 7th Avenue.
South Shore Line President Mike Noland warned against going around active railroad crossing gates when a train is coming.
"Whenever there's active crossing protection that's activated, do not cross the tracks," said South Shore Line President Mike Noland. "It's not worth the 30 seconds or a minute of time that you're going to save. You're putting yourself and others lives at risk."
The 32 passengers and four crew members on board the South Shore Line train were not hurt.
"Putting aside the fact we always want people to be extremely careful around trains and train tracks and to expect a train on a track at any time - there is a tragedy when five human beings are lost and our hearts go out to the family of the loved ones who experienced loss in this accident," Noland said.
Noland says this is the first fatal train verses car crash this year.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it is not investigating the crash.
