Both of the trains involved in the accident had two crew members, Faust confirmed, and the injured man had leaped from his train before the collision. The extent of the hospitalized person’s injures is unknown.
It’s not known how fast the trains were going at the time of the crash, but the speed limit on tracks in that area is 70mph.
BNSF said the trains were hauling a variety of commercial products down the track, which runs parallel to US Route 60, at the time of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation and is sending a team, while investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration arrived at the scene before noon. The FAA has closed down airspace above the crash site.
Witness Billy Brown, a farmer from the area, told ABC News that the shocking collision led to a fireball erupting from the crash site, leading to the blaze that consumed a number of the box cars.
‘I don’t know how anyone survived,’ he said. ‘It’s terrible. I’ve seen a number of train wrecks but I’ve never seen one like this.’
DPS Sergeant Dan Buesing said collisions between trains and trucks occurred occasionally in the area, but that the scale of this accident was ‘startling’.
Story provided by Daily Mail.
If you have any questions or need legal advice, feel free to contact me directly at your convenience.
View video provided by Daily Mail.