By David Slone
Times-Union
SYRACUSE — A Syracuse man was killed Wednesday after his SUV was hit by a train while stopped on the tracks at the Bishop Road crossing in northeast Kosciusko County.
At 12:59 p.m., Kosciusko County 911 Emergency Dispatch Center notified Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputies and emergency personnel to a SUV versus train accident, according to a news release from KCSO.
Emergency personnel arrived on scene and located a 2005 Toyota Sequoia SUV had been struck by a westbound CSX train.
Preliminary investigation determined the Toyota was stopped on the CSX railroad tracks for an unknown reason and was hit by the westbound CSX train, the release states.
The impact of the collision pushed the vehicle approximately 0.7 mile west of the collision.
The driver of the SUV, Stephen D. Schmahl, 55, Syracuse, was pronounced dead at the scene by Kosciusko County Coroner Tyler Huffer as a result of injuries suffered in the crash. Schmahl was the sole occupant in the vehicle.
The railroad intersection emergency lights were activated and the stop arm gates were in the down position.
KCSO was assisted at the scene by the Turkey Creek Fire Department, Syracuse Police Department, Kosciusko County 911 Dispatch Center, Crouse Wrecker Service, and the Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office.
The crash remains under investigation by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office FACT.
