The Tulsa World reported that 71-year-old Cleo Standefield was driving his machine from one worksite to another when a 43-car train barreled into the grader at 41 mph.
Standefield was pronounced dead at the scene.
It’s not clear if the grader got stuck or malfunctioned on the rail tracks, but the operator of the Union Pacific train blew the horn and hit the emergency brakes before striking Standefield.
The train came to a stop after about 1,600 feet, and the grader was forced off road and tracks and ended up on its side.
The railroad crossing didn’t have any lights or traffic arms to warn drivers a train was coming, only were railroad crossing signs leading up the tracks.
Union Pacific investigators are trying to determine what caused the crash.
