Two people were killed in a Friday morning crash between a car and a freight train in northwest Indiana.
The deceased were identified by the Lake County (Indiana) Coroner's Office as William McCurry, 32, of Chicago and Renee McKenzie, 29, of Gary, Indiana. They died at the scene of blunt force trauma, according to a statement from the coroner.
Their vehicle was struck by an eastbound CSX intermodal train at about 5:45 a.m. at South Lake Street and Miller Avenue in Gary.
McKenzie's uncle, Eddie McKenzie, said she was in the car with her fiance when the crash happened. She was on her way to work this morning as a nurse. McKenzie, who was supposed to get married next month, leaves behind a 6-year-old daughter.
"She was my niece but more like a daughter to me cause her father had passed," Eddie McKenzie said. "When I got the call this morning from her brother ... it ruined my day. I just cannot believe it."
An employee with CSX Railroad, who asked to not be identified because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly, told NBC Chicago that video from a camera on board the eastbound train clearly shows the car going around the crossing gates at the intersection.
He said investigators tested those gates and they appeared to have worked properly.
The employee said a similar crash claimed the lives of three people in the same area about five years ago. Crosses and teddy bears, possibly from that incident, were still seen in the area on Friday.
