A New Jersey transit train plowed through the middle of a tractor trailer stuck on the tracks in a wild crash caught on video.
The 18-wheeler was on top of the tracks along Route 17 at Washington Avenue in Sloatsburg as rush hour was wrapping up Tuesday evening. The big rig was trying to make a tight right turn when the commuter train on the Port Jervis line came barreling through the trailer.
Thankfully, the train went clean right through without derailing, and the truck driver managed to escape his cab just in time, a witness said. No one aboard the train was hurt as well, and were later offloaded and taken by bus to another nearby stop.
Chris Schuct said he was driving home from work when he saw the stuck truck, and pulled over to help.
“There was another gentleman down there trying to get the guy out of the truck and he wouldn’t come out. By the time I got over there the gate came down and that was it,” Schuct said. “It was pretty scary to see.”
Hundreds of boxes of printer ink from inside the trailer were sent flying into the air from the intense impact, and were later found strewn all over the ground.
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Train service was suspended for some time after the crash, but was up and running once again at a slower pace later Tuesday night, with onlookers peering out windows to see the destruction.
Those who live in the area said this wasn’t the first time they’ve seen a big truck like that unable to move while on the railroad tracks. The tight turn, which many tractor trailers can’t swing, leaves many stuck.
“They come through here and they can’t go right or left with this wall in front,” said neighbor Kevin Cleary. “Trucks get stuck all the time, but this guy wasn’t lucky enough to get out of the way.”
