Pair escape van stalled on tracks, just before freight train hits it north of Bend

Driver cited for suspended license, no insurance

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Two people in a van that stalled on the railroad tracks north of Bend early Friday morning narrowly escaped before a BNSF train smashed into it, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. The driver was cited for driving with a suspended license and no insurance.

The sheriff’s office responded just after 6 a.m. to the reported unknown-injury crash on the tracks east of Highway 97 and Fort Thompson Lane, Sgt. Jayson Janes said.

The train crew checked the van after the collision and determined no one was inside, he said.

Deputies determined Kevin Platz, 45, of Bend, was driving west toward the highway when it stalled on the tracks. Platz and a passenger saw the southbound train coming and were able to get out just before it was hit.

No one was injured, Janes said. The train ended up pushing the van off the tracks, so it could be towed from the scene.