In this frame grab from video provided by WTVD-11, authorities respond to a collision between an Amtrak passenger train and a truck on March 9 in Halifax County, N.C.(Photo: WTVD-11 via AP)
A New York-bound Amtrak train derailed Monday in eastern North Carolina after colliding with a tractor-trailer that was apparently trying to turn. A local police official reported that there were injuries but that none was considered life-threatening.
One passenger on the train said there were "a lot of ambulances" on the scene, according to WRAL-TV. "There was a massive jerk and we were kind of thrown forward a little bit, and the train came to a sudden stop," said Charlotte Story, a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "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."
Story said many passengers had what appeared to be minor injuries. Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp told the Daily Herald in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., that no life-threatening injuries were reported.
Amber Keeter, an occupant traveling in a car directly behind the tractor-trailer, told WRAL-TV that the vehicle was trying to turn left onto U.S. 301 when the train rumbled into view and hit the bed of the truck, which was hauling a large structure covered in a blue tarp.
Keeter said the tractor-trailer had been trying to negotiate the turn for about 15 minutes. A state trooper was there to help, she said. "It wasn't so much they got stuck. They could not make the turn. They were too long."
North Carolina Transportation Secretary Tony Tata said he was "relieved that there are no fatalities reported at this time, and our thoughts and prayers are with those who were injured."
The Daily Herald reported that the train struck a large truck around noon on Monday. Aerial video of the crash site showed the Amtrak train's engine on its side, along with several cars lying beside the tracks.
On its Twitter feed, the National Transportation Safety Board said it was "aware of reports of an Amtrak train accident in Halifax County, N.C., and are gathering additional information."
The crash caused the closure of two nearby highways.
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