LAKELAND, Fla. — A driver is dead after a pickup truck and a train crashed into each other in Polk County, officials say.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened around 3:25 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Kathleen Road, near Deeson and Spivey Road in north Lakeland. The driver of the pickup, 36-year-old Abel Arocho, attempted to cross the tracks "for unknown reasons," according to the sheriff's office.
The sheriff's office noted that there are no crossing arms at the intersection, but there is a stop sign and a sign notifying drivers of the railroad crossing.
The train was reportedly traveling from Orlando to Jacksonville with 110 empty cars at 55 mph before hitting Arocho's truck on the driver's side, ripping it open. The 36-year-old was thrown into a grassy area near the tracks, where authorities pronounced him dead, the agency said.
There were two people on board the train, the engineer and the conductor. The sheriff's office did not say that they were hurt.
The crash blocked four railroad crossings from Deeson Road South to Strickland Road for two and a half hours, deputies said. The scene has since been cleared.