A 21-year-old Austin man died shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, May 11, from injuries he received from in a collision with a CSX train in southern Jackson County.
Dawson A. Vest of Austin was flown by a PHI air ambulance to a hospital in Louisville, KY, after the wreck reported at 6:30 p.m. on County Road 775 S just west of U.S. 31, according to a news release from Sgt. Stephen Wheeles with the Indiana State Police. The roadway connects US 31 with two residences and farm ground just north of the Muscatatuck River.
Wheeles said the initial investigation by ISP crash reconstructionists indicate that Vest was driving a black 2018 Nissan passenger car west on County Road 775S when the vehicle entered a railroad crossing into the path of a northbound CSX train. The collision caused his car to overturn ejecting him from the vehicle.
The crossing included railroad crossing signs and stop signs for traffic on County Road 775S, which was closed for about three hours for crash cleanup and investigation. U.S. 31 also was briefly closed during the investigation.
Officers with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the Crothersville Police Department assisted at the scene along with personal with Jackson County Emergency Medical Services and Scott County Emergency Medical Services, Westside Towing, CSX and the Louisville and Indiana Railroad.
Vest was born Sept. 2, 1999 in Jacksonville, Florida and is survived by his mother, Melinda Vest of Austin; father, George Vest, Sellersburg; Step-Father, Tim Barger of Scottsburg; a brother, Ashton Vest of Scottsburg and a sister, Jalliann Vest of Charlestown.
He was preceded in death by brother, Joshua Vest.
The funeral was conducted Friday from Buchanan Funeral Home in Austin with the Rev. Aaron Fluckle officiating. Burial was in Spurgeon Cemetery east of Austin.