(Fox 11 Online)
VALDERS, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A driver had to be extricated from her vehicle after she collided with a train in Manitowoc County.
Just after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, dispatch received an automated iPhone crash-detection 911 call for a vehicle-train crash on Lenz Road, south of U.S. Highway 151, with the driver of the vehicle trapped inside.
When first responders arrived on scene, the SUV was found in the ditch.
Preliminary investigation shows the SUV, driven by a 76-year-old Valders woman, was traveling south on Lenz Road when a Canadian National train was going east on the railroad tracks. Deputies say the woman failed to yield the right of way at the railroad crossing, which is controlled by a yield sign.
The driver was pulled out of the SUV and flown to the hospital for medical care.
Lenz Road was closed for more than two hours after the crash.
Motorists are reminded to slow down, stay alert and always yield to trains when approaching and crossing railroad tracks. A train can take significantly longer to stop than a vehicle, making it critical for drivers to obey warning signals and never attempt to beat a train through a crossing.
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