Amtrak Train Slams Into Car Transporter Stuck On Tracks

Photo: Peter Titmuss/UCG/Universal Images Group (Getty Images)

Florida is infamous for having the deadliest train line in the country, largely because of the high number of at-grade crossings. The most recent incident doesn’t involve Brightline and thankfully had no fatalities. Last Friday, an Amtrak train collided with a car transporter in Central Florida leaving several people injured.

Semi-truck demolished in train collision in Lakeland

Amtrak’s Silver Star was heading northbound from Miami, Florida to Penn Station in New York City. According to WPTV, a semi-truck pulling a car transporter carrying seven vehicles. The two vehicles would collide after the train left the Amtrak station in Lakeland, Florida. The truck became stuck on the tracks as the train was traveling east at 78 miles per hour alongside U.S. Route 92.

The truck’s driver and passenger escaped the cab as the crossing arms attempted to close. The Amtrak train slammed into the truck and carried on for 200 yards before coming to a halt. The Silver Star was carrying 163 passengers and a crew of 10 people. The crash injured eight people, and they were taken to the hospital. Amtrak arranges transportation for the remaining passengers and crew back to Tampa.

Sheriff Grady Judd of Polk County said:

“It is truly a miracle that nobody was seriously hurt in this crash. A collision between a passenger train and a semi-truck could have been much worse. Our sympathies are with those who were injured. I don’t think I could say enough about the incredible response and total team effort by all of the agencies involved.”

The sheriff’s office estimated the incident cost would be between $6 million and $10 million when factoring in downtime, cleanup, and damage to the train and tracks. The truck’s driver was cited for insufficient clearance at a railroad crossing.