DALLAS — Two trains collided late Saturday near White Rock Lake, causing one engine to topple over and spill its fuel. No serious injuries were reported, according to the Dallas Morning News.
A train carrying military equipment was traveling northeast near Lakeland Drive and Ferguson Road when the engineer spotted the other train coming toward him, said Lt. Doug Dickerson of Dallas Fire-Rescue.
The second train did not have a crew on board. Officials said the train, made up of two engines, had rolled out of a Kansas City Southern switching yard near Northwest Highway and Garland Road.
The engineer applied his emergency brakes and sounded his horn. He and another crew member bailed out of the train before the collision and had only minor injuries.
Brian Lane, 27, conductor of the train, said he jumped first and then saw the engineer follow him.
“I saw [the engine] hit and go straight up in the air. I saw it tip over. I thought it fell on him. … [It was] pretty spooky.”
He said the engineer was taken to a hospital for a knee injury.
Investigators were at the scene of the accident early Sunday but had not yet determined the speed of the trains.
One of the engines overturned, rupturing its fuel tank.
Officials were concerned that thousands of gallons of fuel could run into nearby waterways, including White Rock Creek. Dallas Fire-Rescue hazardous-materials workers were trying to contain the spill early Sunday.
Police were patrolling the area to maintain security around the train.
Because the train was carrying military equipment, officials considered evacuating nearby residents.
After checking the train’s manifest, officials determined that people were not at risk.
Mary Loveless, who lives near the site of the collision, said she was in bed watching television when she heard the crash.
She thought a car might have hit a tree in her yard and went outside to see what happened.
“One of the engines looked like the Jolly Green Giant stepped on it,” she said.