A CSX Transportation freight train smashed through a tractor-trailer stuck on tracks at a railroad crossing Thursday morning in Haverstraw, New York.
Footage of the incident shared on Twitter showed the truck standing on the railroad while the train approached the crossing. The crossing’s gate arms struggled to close because of the truck standing in the way, the footage showed.
Haverstraw, New Main St tracks. HPD & EMS for a train vs tractor trailer, trailer reportedly snapped in half. Haverstraw FD requested.#trainvstractor #trainaccident #Rockland #TRAIN pic.twitter.com/9ZCEwBkxeV
— Rockland Buff (@Rockland_Buff) February 23, 2023
Soon, the incoming freight train slammed through the trailer truck, which, according to local news watcher Rockland Buff “snapped in half.”
The truck was tossed to the side by the train. The container the truck was carrying broke, and its cargo fell on the ground, a video of the incident showed.
Truck stuck on train track in Haverstraw decimated by train that plows right through it. No injuries reported as driver got out before impact. pic.twitter.com/ugJLUSCh3C
— Rockland Daily (@Rockland_Daily) February 23, 2023
The truck was hauling a heavy shipment of titanium piping to a nearby electrical plant under construction when it got stuck at Railroad Square, which is located along Route 9W at New Main Street, at 9:30 a.m., WABC-TV and WCBS-TV reported.
According to police, the driver’s survival was a close call, WABC-TV reported.
A police sergeant had helped the driver out of the vehicle before the northbound train arrived, WCBS-TV reported.
“The operator was still inside on his phone, trying to make arrangements, I guess, to get himself off, did not realize that a train was actually coming northbound,” Capt. John Gould of Haverstraw Police told WCBS.
“Our sergeant actually alerted him and got him out of the vehicle in time,” Gould added.
“Driver was shaken up, but physically appeared OK. He was evaluated by the paramedics, as well as the train conductor,” Gould said. “Thank God the only thing that was damaged was some property which can be replaced.”
According to police, the truck had bottomed out on the crossing due to its heavy cargo.
“Whatever the load he had on was quite heavy. Just the contour of the road, the bed of tractor trailer got stuck, kind of scraped, which made him stop,” Gould said, according to WCBS-TV.
Hector Rivera, a witness, described the incident as “terrible,” according to the news station. “Gotta be careful. Railroad crossings are dangerous,” Rivera said, WCBS-TV reported.
In a statement shared with WCBS-TV, CSX confirmed that it was aware of the collision and that the company was working with law enforcement on investigations into the incident.
“This could have been a horrific tragedy, but smart thinking and quick action, including blocking other cars and pedestrians from entering the area, prevented that outcome,” Rockland County Legislature Chairman Jay Hood Jr. said, according to WABC-TV.
“I’m sure the driver of the truck and the driver of the train are shook up and I hope they’ll both be okay,” he added.
“It’s no surprise to me, and I’m sure many others, that the community really pulled together because that is what Haverstraw is all about,” Hood said.
Haverstraw Mayor Mike Kohut said that the town was fortunate the train was not transporting hazardous materials, as crashes at crossings bring the risk of trains derailing, Westchester Journal News reported.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.