Ionia man injured after truck runs into train.

Ionia man injured after truck runs into train.

#MasonCountyNews

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

BRANCH TOWNSHIP — A 36-year-old Ionia man was injured Friday afternoon after the pickup truck he was driving collided with a moving train on North Tyndall Road between Stevensen and Wingleton roads. According to Mason County Sheriff Dep. Ken Baum, on the scene, the man was traveling southbound on Tyndall Road.

The driver told the deputy that his vehicle started sliding on the slippery road and his antilock brakes prevented him from stopping adequately. The truck, which was traveling up a small hill near the railroad crossing, then was clipped by a westbound Marquette Rail train locomotive. The train was hauling 17 cars and was traveling at a slow speed. The locomotive nor its cars appeared to be damaged.

Dep. Baum said the driver was at fault but he was unsure of what, if any, type of citation he would be issuing. The man was transported by ambulance to Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital with non life-threatening injuries, Baum said.

Responding to the scene were Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, Branch Fire Department, and Life EMS. Custer Fire Department’s rescue unit was initially dispatched but cancelled while en route.