A Thornton man killed when a semi-truck hit a train in Adams County has been identified as a conductor with the Denver Rock Island Railroad.
Ernest “Jerry” Rivera was killed in the accident at East 66th Avenue and Franklin Street at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, a railroad spokesman said.
Family members of the 33-year-old conductor showed up at the crossing shortly after the crash, said Trooper Gilbert Mares of the Colorado State Patrol.
The truck driver was identified as Wendell T. Cox, 47, of Bedford Heights, Ohio. Cox was taken to North Suburban Hospital in Thornton with minor injuries.
He was checked out at the hospital then cited for “careless driving causing death” and taken to the Adams County Jail, the Colorado State Patrol said in a news release.
Alcohol and drugs are not thought to be factors.
The train was backing up with the conductor at the rear of the third, leading rail car. The train included only an engine and three cars and, like the Freightliner truck, did not appear to be carrying a load.
The train was moving at about 5 mph, but the speed of the semi is under investigation.
A small amount of diesel fuel leaked from the truck but was not a hazardous-material risk, and no evacuation was ordered.
The truck and its trailer rolled onto its passenger side. The train remained upright and on the rails.
