Woman, 7-year-old grandson killed after train hits vehicle in Gary

GARY, Ind. (WLS) -- A 57-year-old woman and her 7-year-old grandson were killed after they were both ejected in a crash involving a Chevy pickup truck and a freight train Tuesday morning in Gary, Ind.

Janetta McClellan and her grandson Eric McClellan Jr. were killed instantly.

Janetta McClellan was driving the boy to school, relatives said.

Police said the pickup truck was struck by an eastbound freight train in the area of Lake Street and Miller Avenue at about 8 a.m.

The victims were pronounced dead at the scene by the Lake County Coroner's Office.

It is not known if weather played a role in the crash. Rail investigators were on the scene for several hours testing signals at the Gary railroad crossing.

"She takes him to school every morning," said family friend Louis-Jean. "She probably came here every morning."

The crossing is the same place where four people were killed a few years ago.

"I just don't see a grandma and her grandson in a car trying to jump the tracks with a train coming," Jean said. "I just don't see that happening."