Two Accidents in Village of Stevensville today December 16th

The Lincoln Charter Township Police report responding to a Car vs Train crash that occurred on a private CSX crossing just North of the village of Stevensville today at 06:45 AM. The driver of a Chevrolet Express van and trailer Jerry Kantor (71) of Niles, was uninjured when his vehicle crossed into the path of a Northbound CSX train. The minor impact of the collision caused damage to the van, but not the Train engine, and the train did not leave the tracks. The Train stopped a short distance away for inspection before proceeding, which is customary procedure after a crash.

A second crash and vehicle fire occurred around 07:40 when a 2007 Chevrolet Malibu crashed into the back of a 2011 Dodge SUV that was stopped in traffic as the car train crash was cleared. Sean Mitchell (22) of Benton Harbor reported that he had been distracted by the emergency lights at the scene and was unable to stop for the SUV stopped in front of him being driven by Victoria Bickham (40) of Benton Harbor. Upon impact flames immediately emerged from both autos. The second crash was witnessed by Lincoln Township Officer Curtis Wolff still on scene. All the occupants escaped un-injured from both vehicles, an unsuccessful attempt to extinguish the blaze was made the Officer Wolff. The fire was extinguished by the Lincoln Township FD who responded, however both vehicles appeared to be a total loss.

Neither crash involved driver impairment, Sean Mitchell was issued a citation for being unable to stop. The crash with the train was believed to have been caused by defective equipment on the Express van and remains under investigation.