BARRIEN COUNTY (WWJ) - An Amtrak train carrying over 200 passengers derailed late Thursday night after it collided with a truck on the railroad tracks in Southwest Michigan.
Amtrak said the crash involving one of their trains that was traveling west from Pontiac to Chicago occurred around 10 p.m. on Thursday night near New Buffalo, a township near Lake Michigan in Barrien County.
The train had an hour left before reaching Chicago and was carrying an estimated 218 passengers and six crew members when it struck a truck that was on tracks at Lakeside Road and US-12.
It detailed, Amtrak said, but it remained upright.
Berrien County Undersheriff Chuck Heit told WNDU that there were only minor injuries were reported on the train while the truck was unoccupied at the time of the crash.
Amtrak released a statement on the incident shortly before 8 a.m. on Nov. 17, stating:
At approximately 10 pm ET, Wolverine Train 355, traveling from Pontiac, MI, to Chicago, struck a vehicle obstructing the tracks near New Buffalo, MI. There were approximately 218 passengers and six crew members onboard, with no reports of serious injuries. The train derailed as a result of the impact, but remained upright. We are working closely with local authorities and have deployed personnel to the scene. Customers were provided alternate transportation.
No other details were released.
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