An Amtrak train carrying 173 passengers and crew members partially derailed Friday night after it crashed into a semi-truck parked on a railroad crossing.
The truck was hauling eight vehicles, several of which became lodged underneath the train.
The crash was reported at 7:06 p.m. Lakeland Fire Rescue, Lakeland Police Department, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and multiple other agencies responded to the scene near the intersection of Canal Street and Memorial Boulevard, which is just south of Lake Parker.
Lakeland Fire Rescue said the locomotive of the Amtrak train was taken off the tracks due to the force of the collision. As of 10:30 p.m., 7 people have been taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with what were described as “non-critical” injuries.
Noah Gadelrab, who was driving east on Memorial Boulevard, caught the collision on his car’s dashcam.
Passengers and crew members were evacuated from the train after the derailment and sent to the R.P. Funding Center in Lakeland to regroup.
According to first responders, the Amtrak train was headed from Miami to New York and had made a stop in Tampa.
According to the sheriff’s office, the Amtrak train collided with the truck and continued about 200 yards before stopping. The incident report, released Saturday, said the front part of the engine derailed and there was a small diesel leak.
A total of eight people suffered minor injuries. Seven of the injured people were taken to a hospital by ambulance while one person was taken in a private vehicle.
Due to the accident, all lanes of Memorial Boulevard near the collision site are shut down at this time. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has asked drivers to avoid the area.
Amtrak released the following statement:
Today, at approximately 7 p.m. ET, Amtrak Train 92 was damaged after it came into contact with a truck-trailer combination obstructing the track at a grade crossing. The leading locomotive lost contact with the track. Amtrak is working with local emergency responders to move the approximately 166 passengers and 10 crew members from the train to a shelter. Train 92 originates daily in Miami and, in this area, uses tracks owned, maintained, and controlled by CSX railroad.
According to Lakeland authorities, it’s not yet known what caused the crash. They don’t know why the truck was parked on the railroad crossing, which is equipped with flashing lights and a stop-arm. They don’t know if the stop-arm was down before the crash.
According to Lakeland Police Department, Polk County Sheriff’s Office will lead the investigation.
“It is truly a miracle that nobody was seriously hurt in this crash,” Sheriff Grady Judd said. “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.”
An unknown amount of diesel fuel leaked from the train. According to Lakeland Fire Rescue, contaminated soil may be removed and discarded.
US 92 and Canal Avenue North were closed for about 10 hours as first responders cleared the scene. In total, the incident cost about $6 million to $10 million in damages.
From the evidence and witness statements, PCSO crash detectives found that the truck was driving north on Canal Avenue North, just south of US 92 (Memorial Boulevard), hauling seven vehicles on a trailer. As it crossed over the tracks, the trailer became stuck on the tracks.
The Amtrak train, which had recently left the Lakeland Amtrak station on a Miami to New York trip, was traveling east on the tracks which runs parallel with US 92.
As the train was approaching Canal Avenue North at about 78 mph, the engineer, Ronald Webb of Jacksonville, saw the truck and began blowing the train’s horn.
The crossing arms and lights activated, and began to impact the truck’s trailer, and the truck driver, Walberto Carrazana Bermudez of Homestead, and his passenger, Jose Luis Lahera Vidal of Hialeah, both jumped out of the truck.
Upon impact, the train (consisting of two engines and eight cars) continued traveling east for another 200 yards before coming to a stop.
The front portion of the lead engine derailed, and a small amount of diesel fuel leaked.
Officials from CSX, Amtrak, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also responded to the scene.