Train-Pickup Truck Collision Claims Life of Local Woman

McKENZIE (August 13) — A 24-year-old woman from McKenzie tragically lost her life after the pickup truck she was riding in was struck by a freight train at the crossing on Harris Road.

According to a report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Destiny Nichole Henry, 24, of McKenzie, died when the train collided with a 2021 Ford pickup truck driven by 20-year-old Annette Winstead. The railroad crossing is located in a rural area of McKenzie, which several residents have described as dangerous.

The report states that the truck was traveling westbound on Harris Road when it was hit by the train, causing the pickup to burst into flames.

First responders from the McKenzie Fire Department, McKenzie Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff’s Department, Baptist EMS, Carroll County Fire Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Carroll County Rescue Squad, and Carroll County Emergency Management arrived at the scene. They worked in 90-degree temperatures to assist.

Brian Tucker, Chief of the McKenzie Fire Department, reported that they were the first fire department on the scene at 2:38 p.m. and remained there five hours. He mentioned that first responders extinguished the fire and extricated the victim from the vehicle. The driver was able to exit the vehicle.

Destiny Henry was a 2019 graduate of Gleason High School. Her memorial service is Saturday at Brummitt-McKenzie Funeral Home.