The accident occurred around 6:15 pm. An overweight tractor trailer truck transporting a cargo of HP laser printers and illegally driving on a roadway got stuck on the railroad tracks at the grade crossing of Washington Avenue in Sloatsburg. Two witnesses in their car saw the truck driver in trouble and stopped to help him. They tried to convince him to get out of the truck cabin but the driver stayed in the cabin. One of them told the media that the driver seemed frozen. As they were talking to the truck driver the gates started to move down. One of the witness explained that he decided not to force the driver out as the cabin of the truck was not on the tracks and he thought he would be safe where he was.
The train was coming out of a curve after stopping at the Sloatsburg station. The train operator didn’t see the truck from far enough to brake on time and the train just sliced through the trailer. One of the witnesses captured the accident on camera. (see Youtube video below)
Passengers on the train couldn’t believe that they actually rode through a tractor trailer and that nobody was injured. They only felt two small jolts at the train operator tried to stop the train and a bigger jolt as the train cut through the trailer of the truck.
The negligent truck driver was issued 2 summons for disobeying two traffic laws (no truck on roadway and excessive weight) and 1 summons for obstructing grade crossing.
The Port Jevis line was temporary closed to allow investigation work and cleaning. A bus service was offered to train commuters.
Read more in the Lohud