Olmitz, KS Mail Truck Hits Speeding Train, Sep 1965

HOISINGTON MAN HURT.

MAIL TRUCK HITS SPEEDING TRAIN.

A Hoisington man, CURTIS COULTER, 19, was seriously injured this morning after his truck and a Missouri Pacific freight collided at the northwest edge of Olmitz.
COULTER'S mail truck reportedly struck the second unit of four diesels pulling the freight at the Olmitz-Galatia blacktop crossing. The truck rolled and COULTER was apparently thrown out.
He was rushed to Hoisington Hospital, where Dr. C. D. Davenport ordered him flown to Wichita for treatment by a neuro surgeon for head injuries. COULTER also had a back injury and severe lacerations of the arm. He was taken to the Great Bend Airport and put on a Midwest Piper hospital plane for the flight to Wichita.
The accident happened about 7:10 a.m. COULTER, who drives a mail truck for his grandfather, Elsa Shook of Hoisington, had left Hoisington for Utica with mail about thirty minutes before the accident.
The freight, headed east, was traveling about 50 miles an hour at the time of the crash. B. L. Magill, 59, of Hoisington, conductor of the train, said it was raining heavily at the time and apparently COULTER did not see the train which was partway through the crossing. The train was brought to stop about a mile from the crossing.
Earl Merkel, 52, Hoisington, was engineer of the train, R. R. Deines, 52, Hoisington and Vic Hochstetter, 50, Great Bend were brakemen.
Mail from the truck was strewn a considerable distance along the track. Postal officials from Hoisington gathered up the mail and moved it to Olmitz.
COULTER was in the special care section of Wesley Hospital in Wichita. No report of his condition was available at press time.

Great Bend Daily Tribune Kansas 1965-09-30
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!