(The Associated Press circulated the following story on October 2.)
MALTA, Mont. — A westbound Amtrak train struck an empty cattle truck about five miles east of here Saturday afternoon, breaking the locomotive’s windshield and flinging manure into the cab.
The Phillips County sheriff’s office says neither the truck driver nor anyone on the passenger train was hurt.
The collision tore the trailer from the tractor and sliced the trailer in half, said Montana Highway Patrol officer Jason Wickum.
“The trailer was just cut right in half and the tractor was on its side,” Wickum said.
The 16-wheeler was headed from a feedlot a couple of miles away. The driver, whose name was not released, was cited for failure to yield and for not wearing a seat belt.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said the crash delayed the Empire Builder for two hours. Amtrak borrowed a freight locomotive from Malta to lead the train westward because of the broken windshield on the engine.
Magliari said the only damage to the train was the broken windshield.