Man drives into path of train in Beacon Falls

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A Chevy Blazer is pinned between a fence and guard rail Thursday afternoon at the train station in Beacon Falls.-KYLE BRENNAN

BEACON FALLS — A train collided with an SUV in Beacon Falls Thursday afternoon.

At about 3 p.m. Thursday a 59-year-old man, who was not identified, drove his Chevrolet Blazer into the path of a southbound train near the train station on Railroad Avenue, Beacon Hose Company No. 1 spokesman Jeremy Rodorigo said.

The train collided with the Blazer a couple of hundred feet north of the platform and pinned the SUV between a fence and a guardrail leading up to the platform.

Rodorigo said the man, who was the only one in the SUV, survived the accident and was transported to Waterbury Hospital by Beacon Hose ambulance.

“He’s lucky to be alive,” Rodorigo said.

The man was listed in stable condition at the hospital later Thursday, said Marjorie Anders, a Metro-North spokeswoman.

There were about 30 people onboard the train and none were injured, she said.

Anders said the accident involved a southbound train that had left Waterbury at 2:50 p.m. It was due in Bridgeport at 3:42 p.m., she said.

“The good news is it was slowing down to a stop,” Anders said. “It was not one of these high-speed things, which is very good for him.”

A bus arrived within 30 minutes to take those onboard to Bridgeport, Anders said. Train service resumed later in the evening.

The SUV sustained heavy damage and had to be removed with a crane. The train sustained minor damage, Rodrigo said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department is investigating the accident, Anders said.

The Republican American contributed to this article.