Monday, March 9, 2015

AMTRAK TRAIN DERAILS IN NORTH CAROLINA AFTER STRIKING TRACTOR TRAILER, AT LEAST 40 INJURED













MARCH 9, 2015

NEAR ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA

At least 40 people were injured after an Amtrak train crashed into a tractor-trailer that was in the middle of the tracks in North Carolina this afternoon, authorities said. 

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has now reported that 15 passengers were transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance while 25 others were transported by bus to the hospital for treatment, indicating that their injuries were less severe. There were 173 uninjured passengers who were taken by bus to to Richmond, the agency said. 

The Amtrak train operating from Charlotte to New York, "struck a vehicle on the tracks at a grade crossing approximately 30 miles north of Rocky Mount, N.C.," Amtrak said in a statement to ABC News. "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. 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." 

Video from the scene shows that at least one cabin of the train derailed and flipped over on its side. The Federal Railway Authority later clarified that two of the train's seven cars and the locomotive derailed. 

A witness to the crash said that the tractor-trailer appeared to be lingering on the tracks while trying to make a difficult right turn. 

Leslie Cipriani told the Associated Press that the tractor-trailer tried backing up several times but did not make it before the grade crossing's cross bars hit the vehicle. 

"There are active warning devices at this crossing," a Federal Railway Administration official told ABC News. 

The Halifax County Sheriff's office confirmed that there were injuries but did not specify the degree of injury. No deaths have been reported. 

Emergency crews are still on the scene, authorities said. 

Amtrak officials said that people with questions about their friends and family aboard this train can call the following number for information: 800-523-9101.