Amtrak hits tractor-trailer, derails in NC

springbrake · May 14, 2010

Amtrak cleans up after train hits truck, derails in Mebane

Nelson Kepley
Photo Caption: A man walks past a damaged train car.

Additional Photos

Amtrak plans to operate its Piedmont and Carolinian services normally today after cleaning up an accident Thursday when a train derailed in Mebane.
Amtrak Train 73 , known as the Piedmont, derailed and caught fire after it hit a truck at 7:47 a.m. near Fifth and Center streets.
The derailment affected Thursday's service of the Piedmont Train No. 76 , which runs between Charlotte and Raleigh, as well as the Carolinian, which runs between New York and Charlotte.
The Piedmont No. 73, traveling from Raleigh to Charlotte, had 36 passengers aboard when it struck a tractor-trailer flatbed carrying construction equipment. The truck was stuck on the railroad crossing.
The locomotive and three coach-cars derailed, and the locomotive and one coach-car caught fire after the fuel tank on the engine ruptured.
Amtrak said 12 passengers and one crew member were injured and taken to three hospitals: Alamance Regional Medical Center, Duke University Hospital and UNC Hospitals. None of the injuries was life-threatening, police said.
Randy Jones, a spokesman for the Alamance County Sheriff's Office, said 11 of the 12 injured passengers were treated and released by Thursday night.
Other passengers were taken to a nearby community center and then taken by bus to their destinations.
Jamarr Poole, 22, was among the train's passengers. The Dudley High School graduate, who lives in Raleigh, was on his way to Greensboro for the day to visit family.
He said he was about to fall asleep when he heard and felt the crash.
"It was a very strong impact," said Poole, who was not injured. "I pretty much had to catch myself from falling on the ground."
Afterward, a conductor told passengers to stay seated and calm.
Passengers were curious about what had happened and looked out the windows before stepping off the train and seeing the damage.
"It was mind-blowing. I never saw anything like that except on TV," Poole said. "It was just a big, big, black cloud of smoke in the sky."
Poole said he felt fortunate that he wasn't injured.
"It's only grace and mercy that kept me and everybody else who wasn't seriously injured," he said.
"My prayers go out to the families and individuals who were seriously hurt."
Police identified the driver of the tractor-trailer as Barry Charles Lazaro of Wake Forest. The truck is owned by Lazaro Contracting.
Jones said Lazaro was not in the truck at the time of the accident.
The driver tried to move the low-lying truck that dragged on the tracks before the train arrived, but the drive shaft snapped, Jones said.
Railroad staff worked most of Thursday to repair the tracks for today' s runs.
Workers from the N.C. DOT, which owns the train, used cranes to lift the 296,000-pound locomotive and cars off the tracks.
"We were extremely fortunate there were no fatalities in this accident," said Sondra Artis of the communications office in DOT's rail division.
Warning lights and other crossing devices worked properly at the intersection, she said.
"Based on eyewitness reports and preliminary data, all of the safety equipment operated as it was designed," Artis said.
Norfolk Southern, which owns the tracks damaged in the accident, began to repair them after the three cars were removed.
Susan Terpay, a spokeswoman for the railroad, said the company didn't know the extent of the damage to the tracks.
Six previous accidents have happened at the crossing since 1978, including a wreck in 2005 that killed a 78-year-old, according to records from the Federal Railroad Administration.
No one was injured in the most recent accident, which happened in February.
Click to expand...

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

brenda · May 15, 2010

Low lying truck,what was he driving? I pulled a trailer one time for navajo,there landing gear was very low;it caught on a rail rd track.The track didnt move,the landing gear sure did. Also wonder if that was one of thows crossings with a big hump? very dangerous.

skibum_63 · May 15, 2010

mayby a LOWBOY trailer

Injun · May 16, 2010

Hauling construction equipment. My guess a lowboy or at least drop deck.

Ramblin' Redneck · May 16, 2010

pics can be seen here:

http://www.myfox8.com/wghp-pictures-train-accident-100513,0,7018068.photogallery

wildbill123 · May 16, 2010

Another Train Truck accident, this one in Detroit.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/lat...s-with-truck-in-southwest-detroit-20100514-ms

wolfpack67 · May 17, 2010

yes'he was pulling a lowboy'and the funny part is the df knew there was a sign warning you about the tracks being to low for trailers like the lowboy he was pulling.

lovesthedrive · May 17, 2010

Piss poor planning to get fetched up there. He should have parked it at the intersection before attempting the loss of his load.

Darn trains. Have no business derailing us truckers........ LOL

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