Unbelievable footage was captured Monday afternoon in Halifax County, North Carolina of an Amtrak train colliding with a semi truck that was pulled out on the tracks. The video was captured on cell phone by eyewitness Leslie Cipriani as she was headed home from work.
Cipriani said, “I saw a tractor trailer trying to make a right; he couldn’t do it. That’s when I heard the train coming. The crossing bar got caught on the truck. One person got out of the truck.”
According to reports, the North Carolina Highway Patrol was escorting the 160 foot long semi-truck, which was carrying electrical wiring and supplies. But even with that the help, the truck couldn’t avoid a costly right turn onto 301.
As far as the Amtrak train that was involved, officials say the train was on its way from Charlotte to New York and was scheduled to make stops in Henrik County on its way north.
Early reports indicate that 40 people were injured in the accident, including 15 people that were transported to the local hospital via ambulance.
“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,” said Amtrak spokeswoman Christina Leeds. “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.”
In an interview with WRAL News, an eyewitness said, “There was a massive jerk and we were kind of thrown forward a little bit, and the train came to a sudden stop. I couldn’t tell you if it was trying to slow down or not. There was no whistle. It came completely out of the blue.”
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