(The following Associated Press article was published in the January 24 online issue of the Ann Arbor News.)
WAYNE, Mich. — A van hit a CSX Transportation freight train before dawn Friday, killing one person, injuring another and derailing several empty propane tank cars, authorities say.
The accident happened about 3 a.m. on the Wayne-Romulus city line, about 15 miles west of Detroit. Both victims were in the van.
The train had two engines, 31 loaded and 34 empty cars, said CSX spokesman David Hall. He told radio station WWJ-AM that seven cars derailed and five overturned.
No one aboard the train was hurt, no leaks were reported, and no one had been evacuated, Hall said.
He said he did not immediately know what the train was carrying, but firefighters were concerned about flammable material in a rail car next to the cars that jumped the track, the station said.
Several roads and businesses in the area were closed Friday morning as crews worked to clear the derailed cars.