| From the WSOC-TV website. NEWTON, N.C. — A freight train crashed into a car in Conover Tuesday, pushing it more than 200 yards down the track. Police said it was the second crash at the same crossing in a week. The driver of the car suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash. The railroad crossing at the entrance to the Southern Furniture Company does not have rail-crossing arms. Officials said the initial crash occurred in Conover and the train shoved the car 250 yards down the tracks into the city limits of Newton. "He was going across and the train drug him all the way yonder from that brick building," said neighbor John Hastings. Hastings is like many people who live along the rail line. He heard the train trying to stop only seconds after striking the car that had just left the business. When Hastings and others got to the vehicle, there was little anyone could do. "I just started praying for him," Hastings said. "I heard a loud screeching noise like brakes and I knew something was wrong," said neighbor Nicki Kaylor. The Norfolk Southern train was en route from Asheville to Catawba. The 60 cars were hauling more than 8,000 pounds of scrubber limestone, which is used by power plants to clean emissions. The crossing where the crash occurred does have a warning sign, but little else to alert drivers. "The crossing has been there for years and I think people just don't stop to heed it," said Conover Police Chief Steve Brewer. "When they come in and out, they just really don't look." Channel 9 has been told the train's speed limit is 35 mph through the area. Police said they are looking at whether there is video of the crash on a surveillance camera that sits outside an EMS base near the crossing. |