An unsuspecting truck driver, on the verge of death, stops his 18-wheeler at a railroad crossing in front of a speeding train, and the train crashes into the truck, leaving the big white rig in a pile of rubble.
The accident occurred around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Village of Versailles, Ohio, when a semi-truck stopped at the CSX Railroad’s West Street intersection where safety barriers were down, Versailles, Ohio, emergency services said. . Statement on Facebook.
The chaotic scene was captured on video by bystander Isaiah David Everett Vanderhorst, who was standing in the parking lot of a small village bank.
The footage shows an 18-wheeler cross the tracks as warning lights and bells begin to sound and safety gates begin to lower.
As the first truck passed safely, I could hear a train approaching in the background.
The second truck driver was stranded when the red and white barrier between the cab and the trailer fell down, giving him no time to move as the train sped down the tracks.
“Oh my god! Oh my god!” two witnesses can be heard saying from behind the camera as the truck driver gets out of the cab to see where the fence between him and his truck has fallen.
As the train approached the railroad crossing, the driver and passengers slowly trotted off the tracks just before the devastating impact.
Debris was scattered across the parking lot and railroad tracks, and the cab was broken into hundreds of pieces.
“Upon arrival, units found the vehicle nearly perpendicular to the railroad tracks, with significant damage to the front end and large areas of debris,” an emergency services statement said.
“The train that was involved in the accident continued west on the tracks and came to a stop just east of the Conover Road intersection, approximately 1.5 miles from where the truck was destroyed.”
Everyone on board the train and two passengers in the truck were arrested.
Both people were evaluated by paramedics at the scene, but no further treatment was required.
Most of the truck’s cab was destroyed in the accident, and the train’s engine was also damaged, but it was repaired by CSX, according to the post.
Fuel also spilled from the cab of the truck, which was removed by the Versailles Fire Department. According to WDTN.
Paramedics said paramedics remained at the scene for two hours and the fire department remained near the railroad tracks until 3:15 p.m.
Late last year, an 18-wheeler became stuck on the tracks in Aledo, Texas, causing a collision and derailment of a Union Pacific train.
The Texas Department of State Safety said the December crash involved two train engines and 17 cars derailing, with only the conductor being taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Wednesday’s accident occurred just over a year after a Norfolk Southern Corporation freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.
The White House announced last month that President Biden would visit Rust Belt towns in February.
