Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Wednesday, October 29, 2014
(WHITE CO.) - A Chicago-bound Amtrak train collided with a semi-truck Tuesday morning in northwestern Indiana and injured several people after a Bedford truck driver believed he had enough time to clear the tracks and pulled into the train’s path.
ABC News reports that fourteen passengers and crew members complained of pain after the collision and eight were taken to local hospitals for evaluation, although none suffered serious injuries.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says everyone who was injured either was released at the scene of the crash or treated and released at hospitals.
Police say that 55-year-old Jeffrey B. Hatfield of Bedford miscalculated when he pulled onto CSX tracks into the path of the Indianapolis-to-Chicago Hoosier State line.
Hatfield told police he had looked to the south, where the train was, and thought he had plenty of time to get across the tracks.
Hatfield wasn't injured in the collision, which occurred at 8:20 a.m. about two miles north of the town of Reynolds.
The Hoosier State line was carrying 56 passengers and three crew members at the time. Shortly before the collision the train had left Lafayette, where it had picked up passengers in its second stop after leaving Indianapolis. The train had two more stops before reaching Chicago. The remaining passengers later continued their journey to Chicago aboard charter buses.
The impact of the train cut the truck in half and left the train and the crossing site along U.S. 421 covered with gray dust from the load of powdered cement the truck was hauling.
According to White County Sheriff Pat Shafer the collision ripped the truck in half.
Local officials and CSX crews were assessing the spilled cement at the site, which is not a hazardous material but could cause problems if it were to solidify along the tracks.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.