PHOTO GALLERY

A 56-year old truck driver was hospitalized following a collision between his truck and freight train, near Brooks Friday morning.

The collision occurred on private property 200 yards north of the railroad crossing on Brooklake Road NE in Salem.

Traffic Safety Deputy Kevin Ely learned that the driver of the truck, Allen Parks of Amity, was departing the loading dock at Marion AG Service Inc., 3635 Brooklake Road N.  Parks is a driver for Simplot Soil Builders in Halsey, Oregon.

Employees had just loaded 35 tons of ammonium sulfate fertilizer into the double trailers of Parks' 1989 Freightliner truck.  As he left the loading dock, he started to cross the Portland Western tracks adjacent to the facility.  Parks failed to yield to the Portland Western Freight train traveling northbound at about 25 mph.  The conductor of the train wasn't able to stop in time.  The impact overturned the truck and trailers, and caused a minor diesel and pellet fertilizer spill.  The crossing is on private property and is not controlled by a signal device.

Medics transported Parks to Salem Hospital. His condition wasn't released.

Neither the conductor nor his assistant was injured.