UPDATED 1:00 P.M. TUESDAY:
Three people were injured, one seriously, early Tuesday when a pickup was struck by the Amtrak Crescent at a Lula railroad crossing when its driver went around a lowered crossing gate, according to the state patrol.
STATE PATROL NARRATIVE:
“(At 7:10 a.m.), Christopher Green, 45, of Mount Airy, Ga, was driving a 2021 Chevy Silverado on Eighth Street in Lula.
Mr. Green was stopped at an active railroad crossing with the crossing arms in the lowered position and the red stop lights were flashing. A northbound train cleared the intersection and stopped, causing the crossing arms to remain lowered.
Believing that the crossing arms were remaining down because the train had stopped too close to the intersection, Green decided to drive around the crossing arms in an attempt to cross the tracks. As he did so, a southbound train struck the pickup truck in its passenger side. The truck then rotated counterclockwise and landed in a ditch next to the train tracks.
While in rotation, Christopher Green’s son, Keller Green, 19, of Mt Airy, was ejected from the rear windshield and landed in the ditch near the truck.
All occupants of the truck, Christopher Green, Keller Green, and front seat passenger, Edgar Alejandro Castro Michel, 47, from from Alto, were transported for medical attention.
Christopher Green and Edgar Alejandro Castro Michel sustained minor injuries. Keller Green sustained serious injuries.
Charges against Christopher Green are pending.”
UPDATED BANKS CO. SHERIFF’S OFFICE FACEBOOK POST (11:00 A.M.): Roadway is now clear.
EARLIER POST: 8:00 A.M.:
⚠️TRAFFIC ALERT⚠️
Please drive with caution in the area of 8th Street and Highway 52 in Lula as we work to clear an accident involving a train.
We will update this post when the roadway is clear.