2 people hit by train while pulling out of southern Indiana driveway

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two people are recovering at a Louisville hospital after their car was hit by a train in southern Indiana.

The Monroe Township Fire Department and Clark County Sheriff's Office responded to the crash in the 2100 block of North US Route 31 just after 6 p.m. Monday.

Officials say the two passengers in the car were crossing the train tracks and pulling out of their own driveway when they were hit, causing the vehicle to flip and trap them inside.

David Shipley saw the aftermath of the crash as he was coming home from work. He said he arrived before EMS and police.

"It was just horrifying," Shipley said. "They got the jaws of life out everything ... They pulled out two elderly people, and they lived over there on the scene where the accident happened."

There are no lights or cross bars at the section of track where the crash occurred. The Louisville and Indiana Railroad said they cost about $250,000 per crossing. According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, the local road authority is responsible for funding safety bars and lights, and the railroad company must maintain them. In this instance, Clark County only requires signage for the area in question about one mile north of Henryville High School.

For Shipley, it renews a familiar conversation.

"It's just dangerous," Shipley said. "They need guard rails all through the railroad track."

Louisville and Indiana Railroad operates 106 miles of track between Indianapolis and Louisville that runs along I-65. Federal safety records showed at least eight crashes on the company's track, just in Clark County, since 2014.

In January, a train crashed into a semi carrying pig hearts on US 31 in Clark County. It was the same track that saw the heartbreaking 2017 crash where a mother high on drugs drove in front of a moving train in Henryville, killing her two children.

"The number of trains have increased. We used to have one or two. Now, there's quite a few trains that come through," Monroe Township Firefighter and EMT Dale Yeager said. "People just need to be aware they're not always using their horns when they are out in the countryside, even though there may be a driveway that crosses a track."

CSX added cross bars near downtown Henryville after the 2017 train crash involving children.

Police said speed was not a factor in this crash. The company reported the four train cars going about 30 miles per hour in a 49 mile per hour zone. Police said it appears the driver did not stop but why remains under investigation. As of Tuesday afternoon, police said the elderly driver was in critical condition and his female passenger is expected to survive. Their names have not been released.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the occupants," Louisville and Indiana Railroad President John Golman said. "Local authorities are still investigating and so is the railroad to see that we have done everything possible to prevent this accident."