(The Associated Press distributed the following article on August 28.)
MANASSAS, Va. — An Amtrak train traveling nearly 80 mph struck a dump truck at a railroad crossing Thursday, killing the truck driver and injuring six people aboard the train.
All of the injuries were minor, according to Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel. The engineer was admitted to a hospital for treatment of a leg injury. Three other crew members and two passengers were treated at the scene — a rural area about 35 miles southwest of Washington.
The train involved was the Crescent, which left New Orleans Wednesday morning, heading to New York. At the time of the crash it had 277 passengers and a crew of 12.
Investigators believe the truck driver, Richard McNamara, 36, never saw the train coming as he drove onto the crossing, which lacks a gate.
“It pulled up on the tracks to back into a driveway area. When it did, there was an Amtrak train coming up the tracks at about 78 mph,” said Det. Dennis Mangan, a spokesman for the Prince William County, Va., police.
The train was northbound on Amtrak’s Crescent run from New Orleans via Atlanta to New York City. It was delayed about six hours by the crash.