ELMO, Texas – A Mesquite, Texas, man was killed on Tuesday after being struck by a train in his truck in Elmo, Texas, which is just east of Terrell, Texas, in Kaufman County.
The man, identified by police as 61-year-old Charles Ray Pruitt of Mesquite, Texas, was taken by an Air Evac Lifeteam medical helicopter after his truck, which was towing a vehicle with his son in it, was struck by the train Tuesday afternoon, September 23, 2014, at approximately 5:05 p.m.
The accident occured at the Farm-to-Market (FM) 2728 Union Pacific Railroad crossing at U.S. Highway 80 in Elmo, Texas. Pruitt was extricated from the vehicle and loaded onto an East Texas Medical Center ambulance while the helicopter was en route from Greenville, Texas.
Pruitt was towing a car with a tow strap when the crossing arms came down on the towed vehicle, according to Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Trooper Kyle Bradford. The car being towed was occupied by the Pruitt's son. Pruitt unhooked the car and was able to remove it from the railroad crossing before he re-entered his truck and was struck by an eastbound traveling freight train.
Pruitt was flown to Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas, in stable condition and listed in unstable condition upon arrival. He died a short time later.
The train decoupled and cleared the FM 2728 crossing at 7:06 p.m. DPS investigators remained on scene.
