MELBOURNE, Fla. (WSVN) — Cellphone video captured the moment of impact, when a freight train slammed right into a semi-truck that had stalled on the tracks in Melbourne, prompting the driver to act fast to get out of the way.
Thursday morning’s collision along the tracks at U.S. 1 and Lake Washington Road left drivers in shock.
Witness Melissa Katz captured video of the crash.
“I saw the [truck driver] struggling. He stopped on the tracks, and he couldn’t get it to move,” she said. “He tried starting it, and it was, like, stalling. It was, like, shaking back and forth.”
As the seconds ticked away, Katz said, the truck driver’s struggle was terrifying to see.
“Not even 30 seconds after that, the train levers came down, and then that’s when we were all really scared,” she said. “Everyone started reversing — I couldn’t move, I was stuck in place — and then he, the driver, ran out of the truck.”
Police said the train was unable to slow down before it slammed into the semi, dragging it down the tracks.
Melbourne Police Sgt. Benjamin Slover praised the driver’s quick actions for getting out of the truck.
“You know, anytime, if you have a vehicle that gets stalled out or disabled on the tracks, you know, typically you might think that the best place is in the car, but in that situation it’s not, because when the train comes, the train’s going to win, and it’s going to win whether you’re in there or not,” he said.
The collision caused extensive damage to the semi and the crossing signals — a scary situation for everyone involved.
“But a train wreck right in front of you, that’s like seriously very scary,” said Katz. “I thank God that I’m alive and well, and everything’s fine, and the driver was able to get away safely.”
No one was hurt.
Officials are investigating what caused the truck to stall out.
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