The terrifying moment a semitractor-trailer stuck at a railroad crossing was torn apart by a train in Indiana on Friday was captured on vi...
The terrifying moment a semitractor-trailer stuck at a railroad crossing was torn apart by a train in Indiana on Friday was captured on video by stunned onlookers .
The driver of the train was treated for minor injuries after they were unable to stop the train in time to avoid the crash.
The trailer's driver luckily escaped the cab before it was torn away from the rest of the vehicle and burst into flames as it was pushed further along the tracks.
The crash happened along US 36 at around 5:40 p.m. Friday in the 3300 block of Angle Road in Pendleton.
A semitractor-trailer stuck at a railroad crossing was torn apart by a train in Indiana on Friday
The semi was stuck at a rail crossing and the train did not stop in time. The driver of the train was treated for minor injuries and the driver of the semi managed to safely escape
Crews from Pendleton and Fall Creek Township Fire Creek were dispatched as video posted to social media showed plumes of dark smoke coming from the train and trailer.
'On arrival crews found a train had struck a semi cab with trailer at the railroad crossing at E Madison Avenue and State Road 67. The impact pushed the semi a couple hundred yards from point of impact,' the department said in a statement posted to Facebook.
'Both the train and semi caught fire, crews were able to fully extinguish the fire. The driver of the semi was out of his truck before impact and did not sustain any injuries and the train conductor was checked out by EMS.'
They also posted pictures of the mangled remains of the cab and the smashed front window of the train, as well as the fire that erupted.
Construction crews had been trying to move the semi from the tracks as the train approached.
A video posted by onlooker Shawn Gregg from a nearby parking lot showed a strap being attached to the trailer as attempts were made to pull it off the tracks.
The front window of the train was smashed in the impact with the semi
The fire department shared images of the mangled wreck of the cab under the train
The fire department were quickly able to extinguish the flames
As the sound of the train becomes louder and the barriers begin to come down to block off traffic at the rail crossing, the attempts were abandoned and the driver of the semi is seen leaping from the cab and running for safety.
The train approaches at speed and plows straight through semi, completely separating the cab from the trailer.
As Gregg leaves the parking lot, his video shows the aftermath and lines of cars watch smoke pour from the crash.
Other witnesses posted video to social media of the dramatic crash from other angles which show the force of the impact between the train and the cab.
Smoke was seen pouring from the front of the train as it set on fire
Onlookers posted videos to social media of the dramatic crash Friday
The remains of the trailer lying on the track as the train crashed through it
One driver traveling on the far side of the street captured the flames springing from the front of the train.
Fire crews were able to quickly extinguish the blaze.
Indiana Department of Environmental Management was called to the scene for a hazardous materials cleanup but not further details were supplied by the fire department.
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