Video Shows Train Derail After Plowing Through Semi-Truck at Crossing

Videos posted to social media show a train derail after plowing through a semi-truck at a railroad crossing.

The footage showed the semi-truck, which was transporting a concrete bridge beam, on the railroad when the cargo train drove into Collegedale, Tennessee, on Tuesday. Following the collision, the train flew off the railroad tracks, causing nearby roads to shut down, local police wrote in a Facebook post.

The crash left four locomotives on their side, according to Chattanooga-based news station WRCB. Two people involved in the crash were taken to nearby hospitals, according to the news station.

A large amount of diesel fuel was leaking from the train, but there was no hazardous threat to the public, according to the news station.

The crash occurred near the intersection of Apison Pike and University Drive at about 12:30 p.m. local time, according to The Chattanoogan news site.

Many details about the incident, including why the train did not stop and the severity of the injuries of those involved, remained unknown.

Several residents nearby at the time of the dramatic crash caught it on camera, posting their footage to Twitter. Videos of the incident were viewed more than 10,000 times by Tuesday afternoon.

"Not even kidding! Don't go into Collegedale this afternoon," tweeted @sah2m.

Roads are set to be closed until a crash scene investigation has been completed, local authorities told The Chattanoogan, adding that it will be a "lengthy closure." Collegedale is a suburb of Chattanooga and is home to more than 11,000 people, according to U.S. Census data.

The Chattanooga Fire Department tweeted that they were at the scene along with several other agencies, where workers were trying to stop the diesel leak. They also tweeted photographs from the scene that show the extent of the damage caused by the crash.

Train Crashes in the U.S.

Train crashes occur from time to time across the United States, unfortunately at times causing severe injuries or deaths.

In September, an accident involving a train and a police car near the town of Platteville, Colorado, north of Denver, left one woman with major brain injuries. The woman had been placed in the back of a patrol car that an officer had inadvertently parked on railroad tracks in front of an approaching train that struck the vehicle.

In June, an Amtrak train in Missouri flipped over after colliding with a dump truck during a trip from Los Angeles to Chicago. At least three individuals—two passengers and the driver—were killed in the crash, and more than 243 passengers were aboard the train at the time.

In May 2021, video showed a train derail outside of an Iowa town. Authorities said the derailment was the result of a bridge collapse, but there were no reports of injuries.

Newsweek reached out to the Collegedale Police Department and Hamilton County Emergency Management Services press contact for comment.