Driver dies after collision with train
May 11—CROTHERSVILLE — Indiana State Police have announced that the driver of a car which collided with a train Monday evening has died.
Dawson A. Vest, 21, of Austin, was pronounced dead shortly after 1 a.m.; he had been airlifted to a Louisville hospital following the crash, which occurred around 6:30 p.m.
The initial investigation by crash reconstructionists from the ISP Versailles and Sellersburg Posts indicated that a 2018 Nissan driven by Vest was traveling westbound on County Road 775 South, just west of U.S. 31. For an unknown reason, Vest's vehicle entered a railroad crossing into the path of a northbound CSX train.
The train collided with the driver's side of the car. After the collision, the car rolled, ejecting Vest from the vehicle and hospitalized with life threatening injuries.
The crossing included railroad crossing signs as well as stop signs for traffic on County Road 775 South. The county road was closed for approximately three hours for crash cleanup and investigation. U.S. 31 was briefly closed during the investigation.
The Indiana State Police were assisted by the Jackson County Sheriffs Department, Crothersville Police Department, Jackson County EMS, Scott County EMS, PHI Medical Helicopter, Westside Towing, CSX Railroad, and Louisville & Indiana Railroad.
The investigation is ongoing.
A GoFundMe has been started to help pay for Vests's funeral costs. It can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/fcuezp-help-for-funeral-costs?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unknown&utm_campaign=comms_v897+fcuezp-help-for-funeral-costs.
