Police in Marshfield says a 62-year-old man is dead, after he tripped at a railroad crossing Tuesday night while trying to beat an oncoming train.
Police Chief Gary Jepsen says witnesses at the scene indicated that Melvin Weis saw the train coming and the crossing gate was down. Jepsen says Weis went around the gate and tried to cross while walking to a gas station, but he stumbled and was then struck by the train.
Jepsen says “it’s a very poor decision, I feel terrible for the family in this situation” but it’s his hope that others will learn from the accident and make the decision not try and cross in front of an oncoming train.
Marshfield has a seen multiple accidents involving trains recently, including three car versus train crashes in the past month alone. Operation Lifesaver says Wood County leads the state in the numbers of train accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians.
Mike Warren, WDLB