Amtrak Accident: Train Flips on its Side After Crashing Into a Tractor-Trailer, 55 People Injured
An Amtrak train and a tractor-trailer collided in North Carolina, injuring more than 50 and further raising concerns about the railroad system. The crash was caught on video and also shut down various highways for most of last night.
Monday afternoon an Amtrak’s Carolinian train, traveling from Charlotte to New York City, crashed into an oversized tractor-trailer stuck at a railway crossing in Halifax, North Carolina, according to The Associated Press. The truck, carrying a modular building covered in a blue tarp, was unable to turn as it crossed over the train tracks. As the escorting police trooper helped the truck driver navigate the turn, the Amtrak train approached and slammed into the truck.
Police said the driver was unable to reverse into the road as multiple cars congested the road. When the crossing arms came down the driver got off the truck and left as the train impacted with the 164-foot tractor-trailer.
Fifty-five people were injured, including the train’s engineer, when the train hit the truck. The locomotive flipped on its side and the baggage car completely derailed.
Following the crash, those seriously injured were transported to hospitals, and the rest of the passengers waited for buses to transport them to Richmond, Virginia, to continue their journey.
“There were 212 passengers and eight crew members on board and initial reports are that several passengers have been injured and taken to local medical facilities for treatment,” Amtrak spokesperson Christina Leeds said, according to WTVR. “At this time, none of the injuries have been reported as life-threatening. Local emergency responders are on the scene and an investigation is ongoing.”
Leslie Cipriani recorded a video of the crash and recounted her thoughts before the accident.
“I saw a tractor trailer trying to make a right; he couldn’t do it,” Cipriani said. “That’s when I heard the train coming. The crossing bar got caught on the truck. One person got out of the truck.”
The crash closed various roads in the area, including U.S. 301 and N.C. Highway 903, according to WRAL; but U.S. 301 was reopened early on Tuesday.
The Greensboro-based Guy M. Turner Inc. owned the truck. WRAL reports the company has a very good safety record.
Regardless, WRIC reports state transportation safety officials have begun investigating the accident. They seek to know, in part, who contacted Amtrak and who approved the truck’s route and if research had been done before sending the truck down that road.
Watch the video of the crash by Leslie Cipriani:
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