2 Injured in Train, Vehicle Crash near Bemidji

LAMMERS TOWNSHIP, Minn. – Around 2:10 p.m. on Sunday July 16, authorities responded to the call of a crash involving a BNSF Train and pickup truck at the railroad crossing located on Centerline Rd NW just south of Highway 2 in Lammers Township, 12 miles west of Bemidji, according to the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Department.

When officers arrived on scene, they determined a female driver, identified as 73-year-old Janice Callahan of Chatfield, Minn., was traveling northbound on Centerline Rd NW and entered the stop-sign marked crossing when she was struck by the train. Callahan was transported via helicopter to North Memorial in Robbinsdale with potentially life threatening injuries.

A male passenger, 74-year-old Thomas Burke, was transported to Sanford Hospital.

None of the BNSF employees were injured in the incident. The engineer at the time of the crash has been identified as Steven Burris of Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The investigation has revealed that alcohol was not a factor in the crash, according to authorities.