Former sheriff’s deputy killed after his vehicle is struck by train
A former Catoosa County sheriff’s deputy died Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 13, after his vehicle was struck by a train.
Sheriff Gary Sisk has confirmed the deceased as 63-year-old Robert Patrick Ingram, a retired deputy, who was working as a bailiff at the Catoosa County Courthouse.
“Please keep his family and friends in your prayers as we mourn the loss of a dear friend,” Sisk said in a statement Wednesday morning.
According to Georgia State Patrol Post 5 in Dalton, Ingram’s vehicle was struck when he attempted to make a left turn onto Graysville Road at the wrong time.
Troopers say Ingram was coming from Front Road and attempted to weave through the caution bars to cross the tracks when he was met by the train.
The train struck the middle of the driver’s side of the car and pushed the car hundreds of feet before coming to a stop.
Catoosa County resident Derrick Milner, who was in traffic near the accident, claims Ingram was driving recklessly.
“He went around cars that were already stopped at the intersection,” Milner said. “He was in a Camaro, so I guess he thought he could beat the train. He should have been more patient and just waited on the train to pass like the rest of us. … Nothing’s worth getting in that big of a hurry over.”