Cherokee Co. couple hurt in crash of train, parade float

HOLLY SPRINGS - Holly Springs police say a 40-year-old officer and his wife were among those injured when a train collided with a float carrying wounded veterans during a parade in Texas Thursday.

Police department spokeswoman Tanya Anderson said Friday that Officer Shane Ladner, a two-year department veteran, and his wife, Meg, had been hospitalized after the accident, which left four dead and 16 others injured.

Anderson said Ladner was treated and released, and that his wife's leg had to be amputated.

The couple traveled to Texas in a group selected by Hunt for Heroes, an organization that highlights the sacrifices of wounded veterans.

Anderson said Hunt for Heroes arranged for a police department chaplain to visit Ladner Friday morning.