OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WZZM) -- A 21-year-old Kalamazoo man drove a minivan around vehicles stopped at a railroad crossing before the minivan was broadsided by a Detroit-bound Amtrak train, killing the man and his two passengers Tuesday afternoon, according to Michigan State Police.
The railroad crossing lights, gates and bells were working at the time of the crash about 4:30 p.m. in Oshtemo Township, which is west of Kalamazoo, police said.
The man had been identified as Joshua Cartwright, and his passengers were Justin Mastin, 19, and Ashley Melson, 20, also of Kalamazoo, Michigan State Police said in a news release Wednesday.
"Emergency personnel were on the scene for approximately 4 ½ hours working to free the occupants of the van and removing it from the tracks in blizzard-like conditions. The case remains under investigation and serves as a grim reminder to motorists to never disregard train crossing signals," the release said, noting that the minivan was pushed about one mile before the train was able to stop.
None of the 111 passengers or four crew members on Wolverine Train 352 were injured, according to Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari. The crash and resulting track closure delayed the train three hours and 44 minutes. Two other trains, which were headed to Port Huron and Chicago, were also delayed.
Magliari called the crash tragic and sad.
"It's not possible to stop a train in nearly every case. ... It's just physics. The train is two locomotives and five cars and that's a lot of mass and locomotion," Magliari said. "We always say, 'See tracks, think train.'"
The Associated Press reported that the train was traveling at 80 m.p.h. at the time of the crash. Magliari said the train was approaching the Kalamazoo station and was at the end of a track section where the train can travel at 110 m.p.h.
According to the Michigan Secretary of State's Office, Cartwright's driver's license expired November 1. He also had two other tickets on his record, including a citation in Dec. 2012 for speeding (60 mph in a 45 mph zone). He also failed to comply with judgment which led to a suspension of his license from Aug. 2013 until March 26 2014. Cartwright was also ticketed in Sept. 2011 for failing to display a valid license.
Consumers Energy confirms that collision also damaged a utility pole and knocked out power to more than 2,200 customers in that area. The power has since been restored.
