Emergency workers examine a vehicle that failed to stop Feb. 10 at railroad safety gates that had been lowered on Main Street in Waterville. Officials say a CSX Transportation train hit the vehicle and pushed it for about 100 yards. The teenager driving the small SUV was charged with a civil violation of failure to stop at a railroad crossing. Amy Calder/Morning Sentinel

WATERVILLE — A teenager has been charged with a civil violation of failure to stop at a railroad crossing in connection with a crash Feb. 10 in which the SUV she was driving was pushed by a train down the tracks off Main Street.

Police issued the civil summons to the girl Thursday evening, according to Maj. Jason Longley of the Waterville Police Department. He said that because she was charged with a civil violation, the punishment would be a fine and she will not appear in court.

The 16-year-old was was driving north at 5:14 p.m. Feb. 10 on Main Street when her 2019 Hyundai SUV went under a railroad crossing gate as it was coming down but did not cause damage to the gate, police said. A CSX Transportation train, heading east toward Chaplin Street and the CSX terminal on College Avenue, struck the sport utility vehicle, pushing it about 100 yards down the tracks. The train was traveling at 10 mph at the time and the railroad lights and bells at the crossing were signaling, police said.

Waterville police Maj. Josh Woods, who was at the scene with Waterville police Chief  William Bonney, said that in the 17 years he had been with the police department, he had never seen a vehicle and train involved in a crash.

The state Department of Transportation does not collect data on the number of vehicle-train crashes that occur in Maine, according to Damian Veilleux of DOT. Both Longley and Waterville fire Chief Jason Frost said Friday that such incidents are rare, at least in Waterville.

The Federal Railroad Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, shows fewer than a dozen railroad accidents of all types in Maine in 2024.

Asked if the driver would lose her driver’s license because of the incident, Longley said it had not been suspended, but it is possible it could be. That decision, he said, would be up to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office.

CSX Transportation is a rail freight company that operates in the eastern United States. In Maine, it’s system extends north to Mattawamkeag. It operates the railyard and terminal off College Avenue.

After the crash, Bryan Tucker of CSX said the train crew was not injured, there was no damage to the tracks or train and the company appreciated the quick response of local agencies.