Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Investigators say a tractor-trailer was hit by a train this afternoon on Fite Road. The driver of the truck suffered serious injuries.

Deputies say about one o’clock, Sidney Renfroe, Jr., age 74, of Memphis, was driving a City of Memphis Sanitation truck west bound on Fite Road between Raleigh LaGrange and Highway 51.

Investigators say as Renfroe approached the railroad crossing, he disregarded the flashing lights and crossing gate that blocked the tracks.

The engineer of the south bound Canadian-Northern freight train said there was no way he could stop the train before the collision, which knocked the truck cab off the tracks.

Renfroe was thrown out of the truck and was found semi-conscious in a ditch about 12 feet away. He was taken to the Regional Medical Center where he remains in serious condition this evening.

Deputies say Renfroe will be charged for not stopping for the approaching train and for not wearing his seat belt. The train engineer was not hurt.