A grandfather and grandson from Texas were killed early Thursday morning when their SUV collided with a Union Pacific train at a rural railroad crossing in Cass County. Sheriff’s Captain Reid Richter says deputies were called to the crossing just east of 12th Street and Church Road around 6:00 after a crash notification was received.
“Upon deputies’ arrival, they located a Texas-plated Mazda SUV with two deceased in the vehicle.” Richter identified the victims as 73-year-old Vernon Hayes and 22-year-old Gabriel Johnson, both of Kingsland, Texas.
Richter says Hayes and Johnson were contract employees working on construction of a new OPPD substation in the area and were on their way to work when the crash happened. The crossing does not have gates or cross arms. Richter says it has warning signs and a yield sign for vehicles approaching the tracks.
An accident reconstruction specialist will continue investigating the crash, including determining the vehicles’ speed at the time of impact. Union Pacific is also conducting its own investigation.