Driver killed in collision with train in Kosciusko County Wednesday

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. -- A Syracuse man is dead in Kosciusko County after the vehicle he was driving was hit by a train at the Bishop Road railroad crossing in Northeast Kosciusko County on Wednesday.

Authorities say at 12:59 p.m., Kosciusko County 911 Emergency Dispatch Center dispatched county deputies and emergency personnel to a car vs train accident.

When emergency personnel arrived, they found that a 2005 Toyota Sequoia SUV had been hit by a westbound Chessie Seaboard (CSX) train and the driver, 55-year-old Stephen Schmahl of Syracuse, Ind., was pronounced dead.

"Preliminary investigation determined the Toyota was stopped on the CSX railroad tracks for an unknown reason and was struck by the westbound CSX train," the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department said. "The impact of the collision pushed the vehicle approximately .7 mile west of the collision. The railroad intersection emergency lights were activated, and the stop arm gates were in the down position."

Schmahl was the only occupant of the vehicle.

The crash remains under investigation by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office FACT Team.