(The Associated Press circulated the following article on June 14.)
MADERA, Calif. — Two freight trains collided head-on and derailed Wednesday, injuring five train workers, some of whom jumped off moments before the crash.
“It’s a miracle they survived,” said Erica Stuart, a spokeswoman for the Madera County sheriff. “It’s a big, mangled mess.”
One of the BNSF Railway workers was hospitalized in serious condition, said spokeswoman Lena Kent. The others suffered minor injuries and were released from the hospital.
One of the trains was carrying cement from San Bernardino to the Bay Area and the other was taking oil from Richmond to Barstow. Some diesel leaked from an engine, but no cargo spilled, Kent said.
A hazardous material team was called as a precaution and the tracks were closed for the day in Madera, about 150 miles southeast of San Francisco. Amtrak, which uses the same rails, had to bus passengers.
“It’s too soon to determine how this happened but we are doing a full investigation,” Kent said. Company investigators didn’t know whether the trains hit each other at full speed or how many workers jumped. Some stayed aboard during the collision.