In a story that sounds like a lead-in to a bad joke, There was an accident earlier this week involving two semi-trucks and an Amtrak train at the intersection of Highway 53 and Explosive Road.
Determining liability in multi-vehicle accidents can be complicated because there is often not just one single collision, but instead a chain of events that involve different factors. This level of complexity increases when several different types of vehicles are involved. This train accident is a good example.
According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, just after 10:30 on Monday morning, a semi-truck was headed southbound on highway 53 outside of Elmwood when it slowed down to turn left onto Explosive Road. A second semi-truck then crashed into the rear end of the first truck. As the result of this collision, both trucks were forced off the road.
Fortunately, neither driver was seriously injured, and both were able to exit their trucks. Unfortunately, the second truck had ended up on a set of railroad tracks. Within a few minutes an Amtrak train approached and stuck the second truck. A photo in the article shows significant damage to the front of the semi.
In this case, the train did not derail after colliding with the truck and there were no reported injuries on the train. After about three hours, the wreckage was cleared and the train was able continue on its route from Chicago to St. Louis.
With all of the tons of steel involved in this accident, it is lucky that there were no serious injuries. Too often when either a train or semi-truck is involved in a collision with a smaller vehicle, such as car or even an SUV, the outcome is not as fortunate.
Source: Chicago Tribune No injuries in Will Co. crash involving 2 semis, train January 24, 2011
