Two dead, two in critical condition when dump truck is struck by passenger train

Two people were killed on Saturday when a passenger train collided with a dump truck in Northeast Texas. 

According to Fort Worth fire spokesman Mike Drivdahl, two people inside the truck were killed when the their vehicle was struck by a westbound train and burst into flames.  

Emergency crews say 11 people on the Trinity Railway Express were also injured in the crash Saturday afternoon and were taken to a nearby hospital. 

Fort Worth and Arlington firefighters investigate a destroyed dump truck after it was hit by a Trinity Railway Express passenger train

The Dallas Morning News reports that among the injured, two are listed in critical condition while three others have serious but non-life-threatening injuries

The Dallas Morning News reports that among the injured, two are listed in critical condition while three others have serious but non-life-threatening injuries

The accident occurred in Euless, about halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth

The accident occurred in Euless, about halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth

Fort Worth and Arlington firefighters investigate a destroyed dump truck after it was hit by a Trinity Railway Express passenger train, in background, at Calloway Cemetery Road

Fort Worth and Arlington firefighters investigate a destroyed dump truck after it was hit by a Trinity Railway Express passenger train, in background, at Calloway Cemetery Road

The Dallas Morning News reports that among the injured, two are listed in critical condition while three others have serious but non-life-threatening injuries.  

An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is currently underway. 

The accident occurred in Euless, about halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth.

A police officer walks away from a railroad crossing arm where a Trinity Railway Express passenger train collided with a dump truck, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018

A police officer walks away from a railroad crossing arm where a Trinity Railway Express passenger train collided with a dump truck, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018

The Morning News reports the collision shattered some train windows and damaged the front of the train.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit spokesman Morgan Lyons tells KHOU the accident should have been avoidable.  

‘Our trains do not take more than a few seconds to get through an intersection,’ Lyons told WFAA-TV.

‘There is nothing — nothing — on the other side of that intersection that is worth risking your life.’

It is not clear how fast the train was traveling but Lyons said the train can travel at speeds up to 79 mph in that area.

It remains unclear why the dump truck was on the railroad tracks.

The crash was reported about noon in the 12500 block of Calloway Cemetery Road in far East Fort Worth, an area between north Arlington and Euless. 

An estimated 50 people were examined by emergency medical units who responded to the scene. 

Passengers who were not in need of immediate medical attention were taken to a nearby strip club to use the restroom and cool off before a bus shuttle arrived to take them to Fort Worth. 

The crash was reported about noon in the 12500 block of Calloway Cemetery Road in far East Fort Worth, an area between north Arlington and Euless

The crash was reported about noon in the 12500 block of Calloway Cemetery Road in far East Fort Worth, an area between north Arlington and Euless

A paramedic assists train passengers who were treated and released from a Fort Worth fire department mobile care unit after their train collided with a dump truck

A paramedic assists train passengers who were treated and released from a Fort Worth fire department mobile care unit after their train collided with a dump truck

‘There was dust and rocks came in; the windows were busted,’ said witness Tirone Gray, 39, who says he was sitting near the locomotive and felt ‘everything’ at the point of impact.

 ‘My original thought was that the train was going to roll.’  

MedStar Mobile Healthcare spokesman Matt Zavadsky said that a fatal train accident has ‘not happened in this area for a long time,’ according to the Dallas Morning News. 

‘This was a very tragic crash,’ he said. ‘But everybody worked really well together, and it came out to as good of an outcome as we could have had.’ 

‘Right after an incident like this, we often try to do a debriefing and review the incident to see if there were things we could have done better,’ Zavadsky said.

‘In the particular case, we were congratulating all of the people that were part of this very unique situation.’

Delays are expected on the TRE as Dallas Area Rapid Transit addresses repairs on the tracks. 

MedStar Mobile Healthcare spokesman Matt Zavadsky said that a fatal train accident has 'not happened in this area for a long time'

MedStar Mobile Healthcare spokesman Matt Zavadsky said that a fatal train accident has ‘not happened in this area for a long time’

Passengers who were not in need of immediate medical attention were taken to a nearby strip club to use the restroom and cool off

Passengers who were not in need of immediate medical attention were taken to a nearby strip club to use the restroom and cool off

 

  

 

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