Truck Driver Killed in Crash with Train on US-27 in Clewiston, FL
Clewiston, FL — November 28, 2022, a 37-year-old truck driver died in a collision with a train on U.S. Highway 27 in Hendry County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 2:45 a.m. at a railroad crossing on US-27 near Flagler Street. Preliminary investigation suggests a semi-truck disregarded a crossing gate for unknown reasons and collided with the right side of a passing train. The impact derailed the train and the truck caught fire.
The truck driver was pronounced dead at the scene. No one aboard the train, which was pulling 46 empty cars, was injured.
The crash remains under investigation. No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Truck/Train Accident on US-27 in Clewiston
With a crash like this it's easy for people to jump to conclusions, as trains are generally easy to see coming and their paths are linear and predictable. Since the victim was seemingly unable to avoid the one in Clewiston, however, it's important to find out precisely why not and make no assumptions before clear facts can tell the story. That means finding out how fast the truck was traveling, whether all its parts and features were functional, the driver's state of health, lighting and visibility (some reports mention heavy fog in the area around that time), the train's speed, and many other important details.
Some may consider all those extra details redundant, but I've lost track of how many times I've told someone that most wrecks aren't as simply as a few sentences in the news make them sound. The victim's loved ones deserve no less than the whole story; will police efforts be enough to get it?
