Imagine you are forced to go to work on your 33rd birthday, and everything seems normal until suddenly you’re driving through rural Ixonia, Wisconsin when your delivery van is ripped in half and you are left in disbelief of what just transpired; this is what happened to Amazon delivery driver Alexander Evans when his van was instantly sliced in two by an Amtrak train in November of 2021.
Before you jump to conclusions, Evans is deaf in his left ear, and couldn’t hear the train from a distance. There were no signals, lights, or warning sounds at this crossing, and Evans’ route ran parallel to the train track, then suddenly turned left across the track, so he had minimal time to see or hear the train barreling toward him.
TMZ just released the dashcam footage of Evans’ harrowing experience, showing how sudden and violent the impact was, but fortunately for him, the Ram Promaster 3500 Amazon delivery van split in half right behind the b-pillar and Evans’ seatback. Another video from a local ABC news affiliate unveiled more details of the incident, including how rattled Evans was by this incredibly close brush with death.
TMZ’s dashcam footage reveals that Evans was not distracted while driving his route, and he even looked over his shoulder to see if the railroad was clear. While this dashcam footage does not include audio, the scene prior to the impact was incredibly serene and unassuming. There is a second angle from the dashcam that shows the view out of the front windshield, and again it is never obvious that a train is coming from that footage. ABC 2 Wisconsin reported that the Amtrak train was going almost 80 mph when it sheared Evans’ work van in half.
Remarkably, Evans, a husband and father of two, lived through the incident seemingly physically unharmed. In the interview with ABC 2 Wisconsin following the crash in 2021, Evans was visibly rattled from the carnage, but repeatedly expressed his gratitude to still be alive. The makeup of this particular train crossing might not be frequently crossed, but it is clear that this railroad crossing needs some kind of warning signal to alert motorists of incoming trains, especially since trains pass this crossing going such a high rate of speed.