Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Five family members killed as their car collides with a train in Colorado

A four-year-old girl was the only survivor of the crash, which occurred as the family were on their way to church

Tim Walker
US Correspondent
Monday 27 June 2016 13:38 EDT
Comments
The driver of the people carrier failed to yield to an oncoming train, police said
The driver of the people carrier failed to yield to an oncoming train, police said ((Reuters))

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Five family members were killed, including three children, as a passenger train struck their people carrier as they were on their way to church in southern Colorado. The Amtrak train collided with the car in Las Animas County at around 9.45am on Sunday morning, after the driver of the people carrier “failed to yield right of way” to the train, according to a statement by the Colorado State Patrol.

Steve Miller his wife Christina were killed, as were their three daughters Abigail, Kathryn and Ellianna, who were six years, two years and eight months old respectively. The only surivior was the couple’s four-year-old daughter, Heidi, who suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a Children’s Hospital in Denver. She is now reported to be in a stable condition.

Authorities said there was no suspicion of drug or alcohol use being involved in the accident. None of the crew of the Chicago to Los Angeles train service or its 286 passengers were injured, Amtrak said. The train suffered minor damage but resumed its journey at around 5pm after making repairs.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in