An Amtrak passenger train hit a tractor-trailer rig carrying a car in Hutto, near the intersection of State Highway 130 and State Highway 79, just before 10 a.m. Sunday morning.
Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm said the Texas Eagle, which travels from San Antonio to Chicago was en route to Dallas from Austin. A total of 211 passengers and 14 Amtrak employees were on board the train at the time of the accident.
The engineer blew the whistle as it approached the crossing, where the truck was on the tracks, according to Michael Knight of the Department of Public Safety. The driver of the truck was ejected and is in critical condition at nearby Williamson Seton Hospital in nearby Round Rock, where Knight said he was in critical condition. No name has been released.
Two passengers on the train complained of minor injuries but refused treatment. DPS also said crews had to clean up a minor diesel fuel spill where the box truck was hit.
Passengers on the train were taken to Hutto Baptist Church by five Hutto ISD school buses. Then they were bused to Fort Worth to board another train., Kulm said.
Local law enforcement will be conducting the investigation of the accident.
Both Amtrak and Union Pacific, which owns the track, will be required to file paperwork with federal authorities. The Federal Railroad Administration may or may not choose to initiate an investigation into the accident.
This article appears courtesy of KXAN.com in Austin.
