Post & Mail photo/Chris Meyers

By CHRIS MEYERS
Staff writer

After nearly a week of not having functioning railroad crossing arms as a result of a hit-and-run wreck, the signal control box has been repaired.
Trains crossing Ohio Street near CJ’s had to stop and have employees stop traffic on their own so trains could pass, according to Columbia City police.
Dispatch records indicate someone driving a pickup truck lost control of the truck while crossing the railroad at about 3 a.m. Saturday and smashed into the signal control box.
The impact caused significant damage and knocked the crossing warning signals out of commission.
A nearby resident who heard the wreck and called police said he saw a young man running away from the wreck, according to police reports.
Throughout the week city and county police have worked to track down a possible driver. Initial reports indicated the truck did not have a license plate on it at the time of the wreck, hampering efforts to find a driver.
They believe they may have located a suspect in the incident, but no charges have yet been filed as the investigation continues.
City police blocked Ohio Street on Wednesday on each side of the crossing as employees of Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad worked to remove the destroyed box and replace it with a new one.