Rochester man dies Saturday in car-train crash

Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 11:35 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

First responders found the Ford F150 with very heavy damage, and the driver still in the vehicle.

The Marshall County Coroner’s office is investigating the car train death of a Rochester man.

At 10:10 Saturday morning, the Marshall County Central Dispatch Center received a report of a car - train motor vehicle crash at the railroad crossing near Illion Street at the south end of Tippecanoe.

First responders found the Ford F150 with very heavy damage, and the driver still in the vehicle. The driver was identified as Maurice F. Horn of Rochester. Efforts were made to remove Horn from the vehicle which took some time. Once removed, attempts were made to revive Horn before he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The coroner’s report states that the crossarms at the railroad crossing were down and that Horn drove around the downed arms and was on the tracks at the time of impact.

The accident remains under investigation by the Marshall County Coroner’s Office and the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department.

Assisting at the scene were Tippecanoe Fire, Bourbon Fire, Lutheran EMA & Air, and Reichert-Knepp Towing.