ARLINGTON -- A flatbed truck driver was seriously injured Friday afternoon when the westbound Amtrak Texas Eagle collided with the truck at a private crossing in west Arlington.
The truck's cab was wedged beneath train and dragged about 300 feet.The driver was taken by helicopter ambulance to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth with life-threatening injuries, said Zhivonni McDonnell, an Arlington police spokeswoman. His condition could not be learned late Friday.None of the 141 passengers on the Chicago-to-San-Antonio train initially reported injuries, Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm said. The train did not jump the tracks, and the power remained on.But more than an hour after the 5 p.m. collision, a passenger and an engineer requested medical attention and were taken to a hospital.When Amtrak inspectors determined that the seven cars on the train were safe to move, a second engine was brought in to tow them to the station in downtown Fort Worth. The cars began moving about 8 p.m.The passengers were to be taken by bus to San Antonio. The Texas Eagle left Chicago on Thursday.The wreck was at private crossing near West Division Street and Dottie Lynn Parkway that leads to Howell Farms, a wedding and events facility.Brad Ham was working at a nearby liquor store when he heard "a screech and a slam," he said.As he ran down the street, people waved frantically from the train as he passed each car.He watched as the helicopter ambulance landed in the middle of the road, which had been blocked by emergency rescue personnel.It was the second collision in that area and the third on the Union Pacific line since October, when an engineer in an eastbound locomotive disregarded a warning signal and struck a parked train.No one was hurt in that crash, but three engines and five rail cars were damaged, and part of Division Street was shut down for about a day.Ham said he was working at the liquor store when that collision occurred. "That one caused the earth to shake," he said.About 600 people attending a charity fund-raiser at Howell Farms were trapped because the crossing was the only way out.In February, another Union Pacific train derailed in central Arlington, spilling corn syrup, shutting down several key thoroughfares and snarling traffic for hours.Staff writers Jessamy Brown and Susan Schrock contributed to this report, which contains material from Star-Telegram archives.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
