In Midland, Texas, a freight train ran into a flat bed truck that had been decorated for a parade on Thursday. The accident killed four and injured 17. The truck had been loaded with wounded veterans and their spouses and was attempting to cross the railroad tracks. The truck had just participated in a parade and was on its way to drop off the veterans and their spouses at a banquet honoring them, said Midland authorities.
Before the trained hit the truck, it had blasted its horn causing people to jump off the truck just before impact. The accident occurred at about 4:40 pm. Railroad and law enforcement officials said the preliminary results of the investigation have indicated that both the gate and lights had been working at the railroad crossing. However, it is not known as of yet, if the crew on the train was aware of the float as it approached the crossing.
The veterans and spouses had been on the truck that was decorated with a number of flags and different signs that named each veteran. When the train blasted its horn, many of the veterans and spouses begin to panic, with some jumping from the truck said one witness who had been waiting in line for the freight train to go by.
Two people died at the accident site and two more died at the medical center. Six people had been admitted to the medical center and one was listed as being in critical condition. Eleven others were treated by medical personnel and released.
Eyewitnesses said the people on the truck had hardly any time to react to the oncoming train.
Leave a Reply