Police rescue driver before train hits SUV

robin brown | The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Train slams into SUV after officers rescue driver Two police officers rescued a 76-year-old man moments before his SUV was hit by a freight train in Newark, Delaware.

WILMINGTON, Del. — Two police officers working Sunday night at The Deer Park in Newark rescued a man from his SUV, stuck on nearby railroad tracks, moments before it was hit by a freight train.

"Their quick thinking and quick action averted what could have been an unfortunate situation," Sgt. Gerald J. Bryda said.

No one was injured in the 11:10 p.m. ET crash, but the SUV was destroyed.

Alcohol is not considered a factor in the collision, Bryda said.

The two uniformed officers — Sgt. Tom Buglio and Cpl. Robert Sharpe — were working extra-duty jobs, standing on the porch of The Deer Park Tavern in the first block of West Main Street, when they saw the SUV get stuck, Bryda said.

The driver was identified as George Kichline, 76, of Alpha, N.J.

He was westbound on West Main Street approaching the road's intersection with South Main Street and New London Road, next to the restaurant, when he turned right but left the roadway pavement, Bryda said.

His 2001 Ford Escape drove instead onto the gravel railbed of the CSX tracks and got stuck in the stone and rails, he said.

The officers "immediately ran over," Bryda said, using their radios to notify police headquarters of the situation.

As they reached the driver, he said, "warning indicators began to flash and the gate arms came down, indicating an approaching train."

Just after the officers ushered Kichline "safely away from the vehicle," an eastbound CSX freight train hit the SUV, Bryda said.

The train "pushed it all the way to North College Avenue," a distance of several hundred feet, before it dislodged from the front of the train, which safely came to a stop, he said.

No charges have been filed in the crash.

The Newark Police Department's Traffic Unit is continuing its investigation of the crash.

Instagram video by Ryan Manuel