Driver hit by CPKC locomotive engines

By Ethan Nahté

MENA, Ark. (June 10, 2026) — At approximately 12:30 Friday afternoon, a driver was hit by three Canadian Pacific Kansas City locomotive engines traveling northeast at the crossing located at Mena Street and Highway 71.

Several witnesses claiming to have seen the entire incident provided similar statements to The Mena Star. The driver, whose name we have not officially been provided at this time, is said to be a young male. He was driving north, crossing Mena Street at Highway 71.

One woman said, “He was trying to get around [the crossing gates]. The train hit the driver’s side.”

A man who was pulled up to the crossing far enough to allow other vehicles to go by on Highway 71 South while waiting for the train to pass, said, “Yeah, you could hear him stamping on it. He was trying to get around. He blew right through the [red] light. He was heading north and it caught him. I thought his truck was going to hit mine when the train dragged him, it was so close.”

The engines were able to stop two blocks away, approximately at Third Street in front of Chambers Bank. The grey Silverado was dragged and spun around, finally being thrown off the tracks between Freedom Pharmacy and the Farmers Co-op at Fourth Street, a little more than a block away from where the impact occurred, approximately 550-600 feet. One of the wheels and tires traveled several more yards, landing near the back of the third locomotive.

The Mena Fire Department had to extricate the lone occupant of the vehicle, removing the door. Southwest EMS placed the driver on a spineboard relatively quickly and into the ambulance. It was overheard he was injured only.

Fourth Street and the two southbound lanes of Highway 71 were temporarily blocked off to allow for clean-up of debris. The center turn lane was opened to southbound traffic.

A few pieces of the Silverado were found caught in the front of the locomotive. No word on whether the conductor was injured or not.

Melanie Wade of Freedom Pharmacy said, “We didn’t even hear the crash in here.”

Dani Lacefield, account executive for KENA/KQOR radio, said she was preparing to turn onto 10th Street from Highway 71 when she saw the flashing red lights at the crossing activated. She stated the crossing gates did not come down. Fortunately, she stopped and looked, because the three locomotives went flying by as she put it. Moments later, the collision occurred.

When The Mena Star arrived on scene just moments after the first responders, the crossing gate at Mena Street was rising and lowering before being pushed back into an upright position by a Mena police officer. The Silverado had steam blowing out of the front end, possibly from the radiator. Its airbags had gone off. The crossing gates at Fourth Street were not down, but emergency vehicles were already on the scene, and first responders may have put the gates back into an upright position.

For more information on Rail Safety, visit Operation Lifesaver at oli.org/.

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