Chicago man dead after train strikes car in Gary, pushes it into Portage

A Chicago man died Tuesday night after his car was struck by an eastbound train and pushed from Gary over the county line into Portage, officials said.

The Porter County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Demetrius Parrish, 29. Officials said he apparently went around the gates at the railroad crossing at County Line Road and U.S. 20 when his car was struck by a CSX train.

Port age Fire Chief Randy Wilkening said Parrish was southbound on County Line Road.

“Technically he was on the Gary side but got pushed on Portage’s side behind the Depot Dog,” Wilkening said, adding his department received a call about the crash around 8:25 p.m. and found Parrish’s car on its side in a ravine.

Parrish, who was in the car alone, died at the scene, Wilkening said, adding officials cleared the scene and reopened County Line Road after 11 p.m.

The Portage Fire Department has gotten a handful of calls about cartrain accidents at that crossing over the years, Wilkening said, adding first responders from Gary and Portage typically are called to the scene because of its location.

“It’s a guarded crossing. People get impatient and unfortunately it doesn’t end well because in car versus train, the train usually wins,” he said.

Gary police, who also were dispatched to the scene, are asking that anyone with information on the incident contact the department’s traffic division at 219-881-1271.

The investigation is ongoing, officials said.