An Amtrak train collided with a pickup truck on the railroad tracks in North Andover on Saturday afternoon, an incident that remarkably resulted in no injuries. The truck, which had stopped beyond the safety gates on Sutton Street, was struck by the train traveling from Brunswick, Maine, to Boston, according to an email from North Andover police Detective Lieutenant Michael J. Davis obtained by the Boston Globe. The collision occurred around 2:10 p.m., and at the time, there were approximately 136 passengers and crew members on board.
The cause of the crash is still being investigated; however, the driver of the pickup truck escaped serious injury, as reported by 7NEWS. Following the crash, the tracks were temporarily closed while the scene was cleared and the severely damaged white pickup truck was removed. Details on the sequence of events leading up to the truck being on the tracks have yet to be detailed by authorities.
Kelly Just, a spokesperson for Amtrak, emphasized in an email the dangers of trespassing and the importance of caution near railroad facilities. "According to the Federal Railroad Administration . . . trespassing along railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America, and railroad crossing incidents are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in America," Just said. "These incidents can affect everyone involved — those who are injured or die and their families, our train crews, and our passengers. They also serve as critical reminders about the importance of obeying the law and of exercising extreme caution around railroad tracks and crossings," as noted by the Boston Globe.
Amtrak is fully cooperating with the investigation being carried out by local law enforcement, and efforts are being made to understand how such incidents can be prevented in the future. 7NEWS reminds our readers that this is still a developing story, and we will continue to provide updates as they become available. For the most current information, you can follow their coverage online.