Fatal Crash Involves Purdue's Beloved Boilermaker Special

The beloved Boilermaker Special, Purdue University's official mascot, was involved in a fatal crash on Thursday afternoon in rural Tippecanoe County, according to the sheriff's office.

As of 6 p.m. that evening, the county coroner's office had not yet identified the driver of the car who died in the crash, said the sheriff's office release.

Two people on board the Boilermaker Special were taken to a Lafayette hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

Photos from the scene show the crumpled remains of the front of the replica Victorian-era locomotive and a car involved in the crash, which occurred just before 4 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 52 and Wyandotte Road near Lafayette - about a 20-minute drive southeast of the Purdue University campus.

A Purdue spokesman told News 8 that the university may have a statement about the crash later that evening.

The Boilermaker Special travels to both home and away football games, as well as other special sports events and campus activities. The Purdue Reamer Club operates the replica locomotive.