6 dead, 28 missing in Amtrak crash

CHURCHILL COUNTY, NV – At least six people are confirmed dead and 28 are missing one day after a semitrailer slammed into an Amtrak train in rural areas in Nevada, officials said late on Saturday night.

The Churchill County Sheriff's Office said in a prepared statement that officials are working to confirm the victims' identities.

Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Lopez said earlier that the truck driver and an Amtrak conductor were among those confirmed dead in the fiery crash. Dozens of others were injured.

The train was traveling from Chicago to Emeryville, California, with about 200 passengers Friday morning when the big rig plowed into one of their cars.

Earl Weener of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a Saturday news conference in Reno that about 28 people have been unrecognized, but he added that some passengers may have come off the train before the accident or had the opportunity to leave the scene and did not inform authorities.

The authorities plan to look at toxicology factors, training and experience and hope to establish the cause of the crash in seven to 10 days, said Weener.

Weener said the train, going 78 miles per hour, was put into emergency mode when the truck collision seemed imminent. He said the truck and the train had clear visibility of each other.

Crossing gates and signals are working properly, he said.

Skid marks on the road was 320 feet long, said Weener.

The truck driver who hit the train was in his mid-40s, and lives in the Battle Mountain area, said Weener. He did not identify him. The truck is owned by John Davis Trucks in Battle Mountain.

Two other cars were behind the truck that hit the train and saw the collision, he said.

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Earlier authorities said that they plan to investigate the driving and medical records of the semitrailer driver.

Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said they also will look at the autopsy results to determine if the driver had consumed drugs at the time of the collision Friday.

The big rig plowed into the California-bound train at a crossing in the countryside about 70 miles east of Reno.

Witnesses had told authorities that the truck appeared to try to stop at the intersection when it crashed through the gate. The driver was the sole occupant of the semi was pulling two empty gravel trailers.

About 20 people aboard the train were taken to hospitals in Reno and Fallon, but Lopez did not know the extent of their injuries. Dan Davis, spokesman for Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, said two people in critical condition, four were in serious condition and three in fair condition.

"We see the typical types of damage that you see in an accident like this – blunt force trauma, fractures, abrasions, lacerations and internal damage to the organ," Davis said.

Video: Amtrak Collision Kills Two in Nevada (on this page)

The incident occurred at 11:25 AM Friday the U.S. 95 about 70 miles east of Reno, said Lopez.

"We still go through the wreckage of the train which is quite extensive," Lopez told msnbc.com. "We are still in the process of trying to explain to everyone."

Amtrak has established a hotline for relatives: 1-800-523-9101.

Amiee Fulk, spokeswoman for the Banner Churchill Community Hospital in Fallon, said more than 10 people were treated in the emergency room, but she was unsure whether anyone was admitted to the facility.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari in Oakland, Calif., said most injuries were not life threatening. He said the 204 passengers and 14 crew members were aboard the California Zephyr route from Chicago to Emeryville, California, which is about 300 miles west of the accident.

Passengers Abel Ortiz, 42, San Jose, California, said he was sleeping on the side of the car that was hit. He was on his way home from a trip to Richmond, Utah, with his family.

"When I looked up I saw the train to rip up. It created an opening in our car," Ortiz told the Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle Standard newspaper in Fallon. "I saw flames come over the windows in the side, as a quick glimpse of the flames. Then the smoke filled up the rest. There were no screams."

"I was scared" His 13-year-old son, Aaron, said the fire scared him.

"I thought I was asleep, but I said that this is not a dream," he said. "I was scared. On a scale of 1 to 10 (of 10 is the scariest), this was a 11".

Passengers Monte Mentry, 75, of Sebastopol, Calif., also aboard the train in Salt Lake City.

"The train rocked, and I bounced up and down in the seat (after the collision)," he recalled. "Everything in the luggage rack came down."

The accident shut down part of U.S. 95 in both directions between Interstate 80 and Fallon, Nevada The scene is near the Trinity Rest Area, south of Lovelock in Churchill County.

The tracks cross the highway about three miles south of I-80 in the heart of the Forty-Mile Desert, which was considered one of the deadliest parts of the overland journey to California-bound, covered-wagon pioneers in the 19th century.

Two or three bus loads of uninjured passengers were taken to a Fallon Elementary School, where arrangements were made to transport them by bus to their destinations.

"Our first problem is to take care of our customers and employees," Amtrak president Joseph Boardman said in a statement. "We are saddened by any damage or loss of life and appreciate the emergency response of local and state agencies."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More Source:

Officials confirm 6 dead in Nevada Amtrak crash - Travel - Salon.com
Amtrak collision leaves 6 dead, at least 5 missing - USATODAY.com
Semi hits Amtrak; 6 dead, 28 missing | Hipster Travel Guide
Six Dead, 28 Unaccounted For After Nev. Amtrak Crash | Video ...

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Submited at Sunday, June 26th, 2011 at 10:00 am on News by jessica
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