Authorities released more information about a train vs. tractor accident from earlier this week in Ralston. According to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the collision occurred at approximately 1:36 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10 on 1st Street. The initial report shows 80-year-old Florence Irene Free of Glidden was traveling eastbound in a 2007 AGCO RT155 tractor and pulling two loaded grain carts. Authorities say Free had partially stopped the tractor on the tracks when it was struck by a westbound Union-Pacific train engine, operated by 53-year-old Troy Holcomb of Erie, Ill. The train was estimated to be traveling around 40 mph at the time of the crash, and the force of the collision split the tractor’s front axle from the main body, which was thrown into a nearby signal bungalow. Holcomb told law enforcement the crossing bars did come down fully as the train approached, but the tractor was positioned left of the bars at the time of impact. Free was transported to St. Anthony Regional Hospital by Carroll County Emergency Medical Services for treatment of suspected injuries. Damage to the tractor is estimated at $80,000, while the train engine sustained approximately $5,000 in damage. An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
