Man killed in fiery crash involving pickup truck and moving train in Sauget

A man was killed early Saturday when a pickup truck collided with a moving train in Sauget.

Authorities do not know his identity. He was the driver of the pickup truck.

Police received a call about the crash at 2 a.m. Saturday, said Sauget Police Chief James Jones .

The truck, a Ford F-150, was traveling south in the 3000 block of Mississippi Avenue (Illinois Route 3) in Sauget when it crossed the railroad tracks and collided with the train, Jones said.

The railroad crossing gates were down and flashing lights activated when the collision happened, he said.

The Union Pacific train included two engines and four cars, the chief said.

When officers arrived, they found the truck and a train engine engulfed by flames. The pickup truck driver was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:30 a.m., according to St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. The cause of death, he said, was blunt force trauma.

Dye said authorities are trying to identify the victim. Jones said the entire truck was burned and its license plates were unreadable. The truck is a blue, older model F-150.

No other injuries were reported. No one else was in the truck.

Members of the Sauget Fire Department extricated the driver from the truck.

Crash closed Illinois Route 3

”Route 3 in Sauget between Monsanto and Queene closed due to vehicle and train accident ,” stated a post on the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Facebook page at 2:39 a.m. “Avoid area.”

The post was referring to Monsanto Avenue and Queeny Avenue.

A follow-up post at 3:20 a.m. was accompanied by a photo showing emergency responders on the scene.

Herb Simmons , the agency’s director, also posted a photo on his Facebook page at 3:09 a.m. showing fire trucks on the scene.

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