Coroner identifies man who died after train struck pickup truck at South MS crossing

A man died Friday afternoon when a truck tried to cross the tracks in McHenry and was hit by a train, Stone County Coroner Wayne Flurry said.

A witness saw the Chevy Silverado pickup truck approach the McHenry Avenue crossing about 3 p.m., Flurry said. He said the driver tried to cross the tracks as a southbound train approached.

The coroner identified the victim as Charles M. Ladner, 30, of McHenry.

Ladner was the only person in the car, Flurry said. He said the train’s length was unclear but it did not appear to be long. Trains of any length cannot stop instantly, even in emergencies. A train going 55 mph takes about a mile to stop completely, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

Ladner died at the scene. Flurry said the train was still stopped on the tracks just before 4:30 p.m.

The collision was the second this week at a rail crossing in South Mississippi. A train in Gulfport on Thursday hit and critically injured a driver who police said had apparently tried to cross before the train.

This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 4:28 PM.