Man killed in collision with train after he drove truck around railroad crossing gates, Mentor Police say

MENTOR, Ohio (WOIO) - Police and fire department officials responded to a deadly crash on Thursday morning involving a Norfolk Southern train and a pickup truck.

According to the Mentor police chief, the driver, identified as Jason Murphy, 42-years old of Mentor-on-the-Lake man, attempted to drive his pickup truck around the gates at the railroad crossing when his vehicle was struck by the train.

Witnesses told police that the gates at the crossing had come down and the lights were flashing and that the train blew its horn as it approached the crossing.

The pickup was hit on the passenger side and Murphy was ejected from the truck, police said, he died at the scene.

“Those trains are moving very quickly and you can’t really judge that speed, when you’re coming up to those tracks, the gates come down, the flashers flash, the train blows its horn for a purpose,” Mentor Police Chief Kenneth Gunsch said, “It’s to warn you, stop you, don’t take that risk with your life.”

The incident was first reported at approximately 10 a.m. near the intersection of Hopkins Road and Jackson Street, according to the Mentor Police Department.

Hopkins road was re-opened by early afternoon.

This is a developing story.

Copyright 2022 WOIO. All rights reserved.