Man killed in vehicle-train collision in Minnesota

A man is dead after the vehicle he was in was struck by a train in northwest Minnesota on Thursday just after 8:45 a.m. 

The Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office says a 60-year-old man from rural Ottertail was traveling eastbound when his truck was struck on the passenger side by a Canadian Pacific train at the railroad crossing on 308th Street, located southeast of Ottertail. 

Authorities said the man's Dodge Ram was badly damaged and that the 60-year-old driver died at the scene. His identity will be released following notification of family members. 

In Minnesota, there were 46 highway-rail incidents in 2019 and and there were 34 from January-Nov. 30 in 2020, including four fatalities in 2019 and one in 2020. according to the Federal Railroad Administration. 

Preliminary data for 2019 from Operation Lifesaver shows there were 2,216 collisions between trails and vehicles at rail crossings in the U.S., resulting in 293 deaths and 807 injuries.