Parade hit by UP train, 4 dead

   Four people were killed Thursday at a grade crossing when a Union Pacific freight train slammed into a flatbed semi-trailer being used as a parade float for an event honoring wounded veterans in Midland, Texas, according an Associated Press report and a news release from the National Transportation Safety Board.
   Seventeen people were injured, including seven in critical condition, the AP reported.
   The NTSB is investigating the accident. 
   About two dozen veterans and their spouses had been sitting in chairs on the float, set up on the trailer with American flags and signs identifying each veteran. Eyewitnesses said people on the float heard the train’s horn and many tried to jump off before the collision. – Eric Kulisch