Two injured in car-train collision in Sparta
<span>SPARTA -- A mother and her 2-year-old daughter were seriously injured in a car-train collision that occurred around 10 a.m. Thursday morning in Sparta on South Chester Street between 1st and 2nd streets.</span>
<span>According to police, 22-year-old Perryville resident Kelly Rubel was traveling northbound on Chester Street in a Chrysler PT Cruiser when it was struck by a Canadian National Railway train at a crossing near Casey's General Store.</span>
<span>Sparta Police Department Assistant Chief Jeremy Kempfer, who is conducting the investigation into the accident, said Rubel disregarded the flashing crossing lights and pulled in front of the train.</span>
<span>The vehicle was dragged roughly 150 yards down the tracks before the train came to a stop. The crossing in question has lights, but no gates.</span>
<span>"The lights were activated at the time of the accident," Kempfer said. "There will probably be some citations.</span>
<span>"I haven't looked into what we could charge, but yeah, she's going to be cited."</span>
<span>Kempfer said Rubel will also be cited with failure to secure a child safety seat.</span>
<span>Sparta Police Chief Sean Lukes said Rubel was transported to Sparta Community Hospital via MedStar Ambulance, while her child was directly transported via ARCH Air Medical Services to Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis.</span>
<span>Rubel was later transferred to St. Louis University Hospital. </span>
<span>The seriousness of their injuries was not immediately known. A representative with St. Louis University Hospital confirmed the hospital had a patient by Rubel's name, but said they could not give out information "on a patient in a procedural area."</span>
<span>The Sparta Police Department is handling the accident investigation, while the Illinois State Police is conducting an accident reconstruction.</span>
<span>"No, that's the first time we've had anything like that happen at that railroad crossing," said Sparta Police Chief Sean Lukes, when asked if his department had any prior incidents at that crossing.</span>
<span>Investigators with Canadian National Railway, which owns the train, will be conducting their own investigation.</span>
<span>Patrick Waldron, public affairs manager for Canadian National, told the Herald Tribune the six-car train was heading southbound from Baldwin and hauling mixed freight with two locomotives.</span>
<span>"It's what we call a 'local' train," he said. "My understanding is Sparta was on scene and it's my belief it is under investigation by Sparta PD."</span>
<span>When asked the status of the train's engineer, Waldron said "no other injuries were reported."</span>
<span>The Sparta Fire Department was paged to provide extrication of the victims.</span>
<span>The Sparta incident wasn't the only train-related accident on Thursday. The Illinois State Police District 11 office said in a news release that the driver of a 2006 Dodge truck was fatally injured in a collision on Route 143 at Railroad Crossing road near the Madison/Bond County line.</span>
<span>The driver's name was being withheld by authorities pending notification of relatives.</span>
<span>According to the release, the driver drove around lowered crossing gates and entered the railroad right-of-way when the collision occurred.</span>
<span>The time of the accident was 2:13 p.m., four hours after the incident in Sparta.</span>