This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Lake Charles, La. • After a train clipped a side mirror off a car Monday, the driver lost his whole door when he pulled up to another intersection and opened it to tell the crew, police in southwestern Louisiana said.
Nobody was hurt. Frank Scalisi Jr., 64, of Lake Charles, was not ticketed after the incident about 10:40 a.m., Lake Charles police Cpl. Shaun Touchet said.
Touchet said Scalisi was in a left turn lane alongside the tracks and saw the train approaching from behind but misjudged the distance and didn't try to move his 2016 Volvo V60.
Scalisi then drove two blocks to another intersection where he stopped and opened the door to try to stop the train and notify the crew.
"He was a bit flustered after his vehicle being hit by a train," Touchet said.
The train took off the door and damaged the car's front quarter-panel, he said.
"At this point, the engineer observed the collision and the train was stopped blocking the intersection," a police news release said.
Scalisi, who could not be reached for comment, was extremely lucky, Touchet said.