Car-train collision may be suicide attempt, report says

A train-car collision in Derby that left a woman hospitalized with serious injuries is being investigated as a possible suicide attempt, according to a Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office report.

Lt. Lin Dehning said the 50-year-old Wichita woman was sitting on the tracks in a silver 2013 Ford Fiesta facing an oncoming train when she was hit in the 6900 block of South K-15 at around 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The train crossing in that area is marked with crossing arms and lights, he said.

The impact pushed the woman’s car north into the 6700 block of South K-15.

It’s not clear whether the car was parked or moving when it was hit, Dehning said. The agency also is looking into what role alcohol consumption might have played in the woman’s actions, he said.

This story was originally published August 4, 2017 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Car-train collision may be suicide attempt, report says."