Quincy woman destroys railroad switch box during police pursuit

QUINCY — The railroad track crossing at Central Avenue in Quincy is closed for repairs after the driver of a stolen vehicle destroyed the switch box at the crossing Monday morning.

About 7:25 a.m. on March 16, a report was made to the Quincy Police Department that a vehicle had been stolen from the 1000 block of Intermodal Way NE. Later that morning, as police were taking the report, the vehicle drove by the scene. The driver, 25-year-old Mary Aldana, of Quincy, had returned to retrieve property she had left where she had been seen earlier in the day, according to Quincy Police Chief Kieth Siebert.

The vehicle was identified and police initiated pursuit. Aldana hit the railroad switch box, destroying it. She then crossed the railroad tracks and Division Street before ending up on a mound of dirt and debris.

Police do not suspect that she was on drugs or intoxicated at the time of the accident. Aldana was treated for minor injuries at Quincy Valley Medical Center and was booked into the Grant County jail.

The railroad crossing was originally expected to be open on Friday, March 19, but Siebert said that the latest report from Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad is that it may take more time.