60-year-old semi driver seriously injured in Mentone train accident

Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 8:58 AM

By Shelby Lopez

Photo provided by Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office

A 60-year-old man was airlifted from an accident in Mentone after the semi he was driving was struck by a train on Wednesday.

The crash happened just before 5 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, Kosciusko County emergency personnel were dispatched to a crash involving a semi and train at the intersection of State Road 25 and State Road 19 in Mentone. Officials reported the semi was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived at the scene.

The semi driver, Lonni Guyton, 60, of Howe, IN, was airlifted from the scene to a Ft Wayne hospital to receive treatment for internal injuries.

A preliminary investigation revealed Guyton's semi had been traveling west on State Road 25 before he missed a left turn, driving off the roadway and becoming disabled on the tracks. The disabled semi was struck by a Norfolk Southern train heading east.

Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office, Mentone Police Department, Mentone Fire Department, Burket Fire Department, Parkview EMS, Crouse Wrecker Service, Norfolk Southern PD, and Samaritan Air Ambulance assisted at the scene.

The crash is still under investigation by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office FACT Team.