Chaos erupted at a Mesa intersection when a light rail train barrelled through a red light and collided with a garbage truck on Wednesday. The impact was severe enough to knock the train off its tracks and shatter its front glass, as confirmed by police and eyewitnesses. The incident, which took place at the corner of Robson and Main Street, left three people hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, including the light rail operator.
Amidst the confusion, the area around the crash site was cordoned off for hours, from Country Club Drive to MacDonald, disrupting the flow of the city's light rail service. At least three tow trucks were enlisted to remove the immobile garbage truck from the scene. Eyewitness Shinece Mcloud expressed her disbelief and fear to FOX 10 Phoenix, saying, "I don’t understand how this even became possible."
As traffic ground to a halt, further details emerged. According to ABC 15, it's been established that the light rail ran the red light prior to colliding with the truck which was moving northbound through a green light. The Mesa Police Department is still investigating the circumstances behind the train's failure to stop.
Determined to get to the bottom of this, Valley Metro has announced that they are conducting their own investigation into the crash. While Main Street was shut down, service was disrupted, and locals like David Snyder, who works nearby, witnessed the aftermath and recounted seeing "them take a few people away on stretchers and an ambulance," which he told FOX 10 Phoenix. The status of citations for the light rail operator remains unclear at this time.
