Fly low hot air balloon crashed into a moving train on the evening of June 1 in Burlington, Wisconsin. Abnormal incident sent all three people on a hot air balloon to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and two of them were transported by helicopter for immediate medical attention.
Burlington Police responded to reports of a collision between a hot air balloon and a freight train on Calumet Road at 8:15 a.m. P.m. local time.Initial police report Citing eyewitnesses, the balloon appeared to crash shortly before crashing into a northbound train. Balloons owned by the Lake Geneva Balloon Company, and trains owned and operated by Canadian National Railways.
A report from NBC shows the aftermath of the collision, but video footage of the collision was captured by a driver and later released by ABC News.
Local news reports from WTMJ quoted a witness as saying the balloon had bounced off a building before impact. That account said it was the train that hit the balloon, but a Burlington Police statement released on June 2 provided more details from the balloon pilot:
The pilot said that while attempting to land the balloon in the 400 block of Calumet Street, the gondola touched down and the balloon entangled with a Northbound Canadian National train.
Despite the pilot’s testimony, video footage and eyewitness accounts, the cause of the collision remains unknown. The accident is currently under a joint investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).). The investigation involved the NTSB, Burlington Police and the Federal Aviation Administration. There is even a statement from the Balloon Federation of the United States warns against any speculation.
Police initially claimed Canadian National Railways was also involved in the investigation, but the company declined to comment on the crash, saying local authorities should handle any questions.
The good news is that the remarkable accident improbable did not result in loss of life. The pilot of the hot air balloon and both passengers have been discharged from the hospital and is currently recovering from an injury. However, there is no news on the status of the balloon or the wagon from the train.
