(The following article by Gary Parrish was posted on the GoMemphis.com website on October 25.)
MEMPHIS — An Amtrak train carrying about 100 University of Memphis football fans Friday collided with a log truck in Glendora, Miss., sending the truck driver to the hospital and the Tiger supporters into an 80-minute delay.
”It just sounded like a big bump,” Risa Campbell told The Commercial Appeal via phone just after arriving in New Orleans for the U of M’s game this afternoon against Tulane. ”It looked like he just didn’t get off the track in time. So we hit him. Then we were delayed for a little while before chugging right on into New Orleans.”
A spokesman for Amtrak told the Associated Press that no injuries were reported among the 211 passengers. A police spokesman said the name and condition of the truck driver were not immediately known.
”I saw them put him on a stretcher, but that’s all I saw,” Campbell said. ”Who knows?”
The train – which originated in Chicago and went through Memphis on its way to New Orleans – is commonly referred to as the ”City of New Orleans.” It was made famous by the song of the same name written by Steve Goodman in 1970 and recorded by the likes of Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson.