LAKELAND, Fla. — Eight people were treated for minor injuries Friday after a crash in Lakeland between an Amtrak train and a semi-tractor pulling a car transporter that originated in Miami and was headed to New York.
Seven of the injured were taken to a local hospital by ambulance and one person went by private vehicle, according to an updated posted on Facebook by Lakeland police.
The train, which is called the Silver Star, stopped in West Palm Beach.
It carried 163 passengers and 10 crew members.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Lakeland Fire Department also were dispatched to the scene at 7:04 pm.
“It is truly a miracle that nobody was seriously hurt in this crash," Sheriff Grady Judd said. "A collision between a passenger train and a semi-truck could have been much worse. Our sympathies are with those who were injured. I don’t think I could say enough about the incredible response and total team effort by all of the agencies involved.”
Sheriff's office crash detectives found that the truck was driving north on Canal Avenue North, just south of U.S. 92 (Memorial Boulevard), hauling seven vehicles on a trailer. As it crossed over the tracks, the trailer became stuck on the tracks.
The Amtrak train, which had recently left the Lakeland Amtrak station on a run to New York, was traveling east on the tracks which runs parallel with U.S. 92.
As the train was approaching Canal Avenue North at about 78 mph, engineer Ronald Webb, of Jacksonville, saw the truck and began blowing the train’s horn.
The crossing arms and lights activated, and began to impact the truck’s trailer and the truck driver, Walberto Carrazana Bermudez of Homestead, and his passenger, Jose Luis Lahera Vidal of Hialeah, who both jumped out of the vehicle.
The train, consisting of two engines and eight cars, continued traveling east for another 200 yards before coming to a stop. The front portion of the lead engine derailed, and a small amount of diesel fuel leaked.
Amtrak arranged transportation of the passengers and crew to be taken to Tampa, the next stop, via bus.
Bermudez was cited for insufficient clearance at a railroad crossing.
The cost of the incident, including damages to the train, CSX-own tracks, cost of cleanup and losses due to track downtime is estimated to be between $6 million and $10 million, the sheriff's office said.
U.S. 92 and Canal Avenue North were closed for approximately 10 hours.
CSX, Amtrak and the National Transportation Safety Board also responded to the scene.
