(The following article by Andy Hall was published by the Palatka Daily News on April 29.)
PALATKA, Fla. — An Amtrak Auto Train struck a fallen tree late Friday afternoon only a few miles south of the site of the 2002 derailment near Crescent City in which six people were killed.
Amtrak No. 52 was headed north out of Sanford, carrying 482 passengers to Lorton, Va., when it hit a tree on a section of CSX track just north of Seville at 4:45 p.m., according to Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel in Washington, D.C.
Two engineers, whose names were not released, were treated for minor injuries, Stessel said. No other injuries were reported. It is believed the tree was among many in the area downed by severe thunderstorms that swept across Northeast Florida Friday afternoon.
“The lead engine sustained some damage — broken headlights, broken ditch lights — and the tree was lodged underneath the lead locomotive,” Stessel said.
“Amtrak mechanical personnel were dispatched from Sanford, along with two new engineers and a conductor. In addition, CSX sent mechanical personnel to assist with extracting the tree.”
An engineer from Amtrak 92, which was running behind 52, guided 52 onto a side track after the tree was removed, Stessel said, then returned to his own train. The accident caused a delay of 3 hours and 52 minutes for Amtrak 52 and 2 hours and 15 minutes for Amtrak 92, according to Amtrak records.
“Both trains sustained their on-board power so dinner could be served and passengers could be comfortable,” Stessel said. There were two engines and 37 cars, including auto carriers, on Amtrak 52, Stessel said. It was Amtrak 52 — also originating in Sanford and bound for the Washington, D.C., area that derailed south of Crescent City, leaving six people dead and approximately 150 injured on April 18, 2002.