MYRTLE, Miss. (WTVA) - The Union County Sheriff's Department responded to the accident Tuesday morning around 7:40 a-m at the Graham Avenue train crossing in Myrtle.
According to Sheriff Jimmy Edwards, the driver of the vehicle is 18-year-old Benjamin Paiste, a senior at Myrtle High.
Edwards said, "An 18-year-old senior in high school going on his way to school this morning. I don't know if the sun was in his eyes and wasn't able to see the lights blinking or what. He pulled out in front of the train and collided with it."
Paiste was by himself and airlifted from the scene to North Mississippi Medical Center.
Edwards said, "It spun the vehicle all the way around. It came to rest up against the railroad box located near the tracks."
Paiste is currently hospitalized in fair condition suffering from broken bones, cuts and other injuries.
This is not the first time an accident has happened at the crossing. There are lights but no crossing arms.
The sheriff says as the investigation continues, he emphasizes the outcome of this wreck could've been much worse.
Edwards said, "I'd say he was very blessed. Anytime you're involved with a train, the results are usually not good."
The Union County Sheriff's Office and BNSF Railroad are investigating.
