The Big Lead

Purdue's train mascot involved in fatal crash

By Sam Westmoreland

The Boilermaker Special leads the Purdue Boilermakers to the stadium before the NCAA football game against the Indiana State Sycamores, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdueisufb091022 Am06620
The Boilermaker Special leads the Purdue Boilermakers to the stadium before the NCAA football game against the Indiana State Sycamores, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdueisufb091022 Am06620 / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Purdue Boilermakers' train mascot was involved in a crash on Thursday that killed one person and sent two others to the hospital.

According to WLFI in Lafayette, Indiana, the Boilermaker Special, Purdue's train mascot that often appears at football games and parades in the area, crossed the center line on U.S. 52 South and struck an oncoming vehicle, killing the driver of that car and injuring the occupants of the modified truck.

The crash occurred about 11 miles from Purdue's campus.

Authorities believe the truck experienced a possible tire malfunction, causing it to cross the center line into oncoming traffic. The driver of the other vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene, while the two passengers of the Boilermaker Special, a 22-year-old from Rockport, Indiana and a 20-year-old from Noblesville, Indiana, were hospitalized, treated, and released Thursday night, according to WTHR in Indianapolis.

The University released a statement on the crash:

"The Sheriff's Office is continuing with our investigation into any additional mechanical issues that may be related to the crash," the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

The Boilermaker Special is the official mascot of Purdue, and was famous for being the world's largest, fastest, heaviest, and loudest college mascot. The current edition, the Boilermaker Special VII, made its debut in 2011 at a home game against Middle Tennessee State.

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