GENOA – It’s not often a car crashes into a moving train and no one is injured, but that’s exactly what happened this morning on Route 23 north of Route 72 this morning, according to DeKalb County Chief Deputy Andy Sullivan.
About 5:12 a.m., Michael A. Niesman, 23, of 200 Leah Court in Sycamore, was northbound on Route 23 in a 2007 Chevrolet truck when he was unable to stop on the snowy road, slid through the gate and crashed into a crossing train, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
The truck sustained damage to its front end and was towed, but no one was hurt, Sullivan said.
“You almost never hear of that from a train accident,” he said.
As a matter of fact, Niesman said in a Facebook message that he went to work as planned Tuesday. He also posted pictures of the truck's mangled front end.
The release said Niesman was wearing his seat belt.
The train only stopped once deputies contacted the company in order to put together the crash report, Sullivan said.
"I don't think they'd even realized a truck had crashed into the train,"
Sullivan said that was the only crash he knew of as of 9 a.m., although he said the department responded to a few reports of cars sliding into ditches.