PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — A man has died after the car he was riding in was hit by a passing cargo train in Haymarket Monday night, according to police.
According to a tweet from the Prince William County Police Department (PWCPD), the crash happened in the area of James Madison Highway (Route 15) and Kapp Valley Way.
Investigators believe 26-year-old Emerson Lisandro Martinez Mejia was in a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado northbound on Kapp Valley Way, when the driver ignored a posted stop sign prior to the railroad crossing. As he was driving over the track, the pick-up truck was hit by a passing cargo train.
Police say the impact of the train caused the truck to leave the roadway and land several hundred feet away.
Police and fire and rescue crews found Martinez Mejia inside the truck and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, only identified as a 42-year-old was extricated from the truck and taken to an area hospital for help. That driver is expected to survive.
Officials were forced to close a portion of James Madison Highway in both directions while crews work the scene. Despite warnings from PWCPD that the roadway would be closed for "several hours," it has since reopened.
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