A teen driver was hospitalized after a freight train hit his truck Tuesday afternoon near Maytown, according to the Thurston County Sheriff's Office.
The incident happened about 1 p.m., Lt. Ray Brady said. The 18-year-old who was driving what was described as a farm truck used to haul hay was headed south on Case Road Southwest and the freight train was headed east when the vehicles collided just south of Maytown, Brady said.
The railroad crossing has only posted signs, no flashing lights or electronic gates, Brady said.
Although the train was traveling at a slow speed, its weight still pushed the truck about 200 feet, he said. The cab became separated from the body of the truck, with the teen still in the cab.
He was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia where he was in stable condition, Brady said.
Case Road was closed in both directions following the crash. One lane reopened in the late afternoon, and the other was expected to open shortly after that.
