05/14/2010 // West Palm Beach, Florida, USA // Sandra Quinlan // Sandra Quinlan
Mebane, NC—Thirteen people aboard an Amtrak train suffered injuries when the locomotive smashed into a trailer lugging a front-end loader. The fiery truck-train collision occurred in Mebane, North Carolina on Thursday, May 13, 2010, as reported by WCNC.com.
Reports stated a lowboy trailer hauling a front-end loader became stuck on the train tracks on Thursday morning. Nearby signs apparently warn truckers of the potential to become stuck on the tracks.
When the truck driver failed to get his truck moving in time, he allegedly jumped from the trailer. Just moments later, the Charlotte-bound locomotive slammed into the trailer. As a result, the Amtrak train derailed and caught fire, striking signs and trees before coming to a rest nearly 150 yards away.
According to witness James Beck, “Everybody could see what was going to happen… He was trying to do something to get traffic from being blocked up. Of course when the train came and he heard the gates coming down he tried to gun it and get disconnection, but it wasn’t going to work.”
A passenger aboard the locomotive, Danielle Baldwin, contended the train accident occurred abruptly, leaving no time to brace ones self for impact. Baldwin noted, “I got thrown from my seat and hit the seat in front of me and then fell to the floor and then the train came to a stop and that’s when we knew the train had hit something… I think several people hit their noses on the seat. I think there were several broken noses.”
Emergency medical services (EMS) crews were seemingly dispatched to the scene after the accident. While it was not clear how many people were aboard the train at the time, 12 passengers and one crew member were hurt. They were taken to area hospitals, including Alamance Regional Medical Center, Duke University Hospital and University of North Carolina Hospital.
No citations have been issued as of yet. The investigation continues.
Legal News Reporter: Sandra Quinlan- Legal News for North Carolina Train Accident Lawyers.
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