Amtrak train hits tractor trailer in Connecticut

An Amtrak train carrying nearly 100 passengers crashed into the back of a tractor trailer in Connecticut Friday morning, causing minor injuries to a train driver and damaging crossing warning equipment, authorities said.

TV news video of the scene in North Haven showed heavy damage to the back of the truck’s trailer and a utility pole with warning lights and a crossing arm.

The crash happened shortly before 6 a.m. as train 471 was heading south toward Norfolk, Va., from Springfield, Mass., Amtrak officials said. The 97-passenger train hit the truck at a crossing in an industrial area about 6 miles (10 kilometers) north of New Haven.

“A tractor-trailer unit carrying paper was delayed in traffic and failed to clear the railroad crossing when an oncoming Amtrak train collided with the trailer,” the North Haven Fire Department said in a statement .

A train driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries and no passengers were injured, Amtrak officials said. The truck driver was also not injured.

The cause of the accident was under investigation.

Amtrak and the local train were temporarily suspended due to the accident. Amtrak said it was transporting passengers from the train to another station.

The markings on the truck’s trailer showed the name of a Canadian company, Musket Transport. An employee in the company’s safety department said it was aware of the accident but declined to comment further.

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Connecticut