California train derails after collision with truck
Aerial footage of the crash shows three of the train's carriages on their side
A commuter train and a truck have collided, causing four carriages to derail northwest of Los Angeles.
The vehicle became engulfed in flames and at least 28 people have been injured, a fire department spokesman who was interrogated said so.
Police in Oxnard, California, say the crash was first reported at 05:44 local time (13:44 GMT).
The collision happened at a level crossing as the truck turned on to the tracks and stopped, officials said.
"I saw a bright flash, a big fireball and flames, flames going pretty high," said Glenn Frisbie, who was driving to work and sitting at an intersection about a block away from the incident.
Metrolink spokesman Scott Johnson estimated the train struck the truck at a speed between 40 mph (64 kmCh) to 50 mph.
Officials say that no one has died, but 13 people remained in emergency rooms Tuesday afternoon for treatment.
Captain Mike Lindbery said the train was carrying 51 passengers, and 28 of those were transported to several local hospitals.
Upon arriving at the scene, emergency responders determined that the truck - which was on fire - was unoccupied.
Shortly afterward, a police officer spotted "what he believed to be a disoriented male" that is now believed to be the driver of the truck, officials said.
His name has not been released, but officials have identified him as a 54-year-old truck driver from Arizona. He is said to be cooperating with the investigation and is in stable condition at a local hospital.
An investigator told the Associated Press news agency that the driver made a premature right turn at a level crossing, and the vehicle became stuck on the tracks.
Investigators note that 2,000 level crossing accidents happen in the US each year
The NTSB will lead the investigation into the cause of the accident
The locomotive had a camera on the lead carriage, footage from which will be used in the investigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the agency that leads transport investigations for the US government, said it was sending a "go-team" to the scene.
NTSB spokesman Robert Sumwalt said: "We are very concerned about grade [level] crossings and we intend to use this accident and others to learn from it, so that we can keep it from happening again."
He said investigators would be looking into whether the automatic "arms" that act as a barrier to traffic functioned properly, amongst other factors. They will look at data from sensors at the crossing and from the train.
He noted that over 2,000 level crossing accidents occur in the US each year, of those approximately 250 are fatal.
Post a Comment