Driver Injured, Dump Truck Totaled in Old Monroe Train Collision
OLD MONROE, Mo. — A St. Louis truck driver escaped with minor injuries Wednesday after a BNSF locomotive struck the driver’s side of his dump truck, totaling the truck and leaving crews with a difficult recovery along the railroad tracks.
The crash unfolded at approximately 2:48 p.m. near Highway 79 and Wehde Lane. The eastbound driver of a 2020 Volvo VHD failed to stop at a stop sign and continued onto the crossing as BNSF locomotive No. 3971 approached from the north.
The train struck the truck on its driver’s side. Despite taking the impact at one of the vehicle’s most vulnerable points, the 59-year-old driver suffered only minor injuries. Lincoln County Ambulance District transported him to Mercy Hospital St. Louis.
The truck, marked with the name Mighty Quinn Hauling LLC, was totaled. The locomotive sustained extensive damage, although no injuries were reported for its operator and the engine did not require removal from the tracks.
With the driver safely removed, crews still faced the challenge of getting the wrecked truck away from the rail line.
Brian Jackson, owner of Jackson’s Towing, said the recovery could not be handled like an ordinary roadside tow. Dragging the disabled truck directly across the tracks risked damaging the rail infrastructure, so specialized heavy-recovery equipment was brought to the scene.
Instead of simply pulling the truck away, crews carefully lifted, winched and repositioned it until it was clear of the tracks. Jackson’s Towing handled that portion of the recovery, after which the truck was hauled from the scene through separate arrangements made by its owner.
Traffic near Highway 79 and Wehde Lane remained restricted while emergency crews treated the driver, worked the collision scene and cleared the railroad crossing.
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Sources:
Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report
Brian Jackson, owner of Jackson’s Towing
Lincoln CountyWatch reporting and scene imagery
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