Amtrak train headed to Hampton Roads hits truck hauling boat in New Kent County
By Alyssa RankerWyatt YoungBrian Reese,
18 hours ago
NEW KENT COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — An Amtrak train headed to Williamsburg and Newport News crashed into a pickup truck hauling a boat on Thursday morning in New Kent County.
It happened around 10:45 a.m. at the railroad crossing at Riverside Drive and Waterside Drive near Chickahominy Shores in Lanexa.
Virginia State Police say the pickup and its boat/trailer got stuck on the tracks before they were struck. The driver, 69-year-old Bernard Lee Wilson of Toano, was able to get out of the truck beforehand and was not hurt.
“Virginia State Police remind the public that if your vehicle becomes stuck on the tracks, exit the vehicle immediately,” a release on the incident says.
The crash is still under investigation by police, as well as Amtrak and CSX.
The railroad crossing and crash scene after the Amtrak train crash in New Kent County on Oct. 3, 2024 (Chopper 10 image)
The crash scene after the Amtrak train crash in New Kent County on Oct. 3, 2024 (Chopper 10 image)
The truck that was struck in an Amtrak train crash in New Kent County on Oct. 3, 2024 (Chopper 10 image)
A truck after the collision with the Amtrak train in New Kent County on September 3, 2024 (Courtesy of WAVY viewer)
The boat involved is loaded onto a wrecker after an Amtrak train crash in New Kent County on Oct. 3, 2024 (Chopper 10 image)
The boat and trailer after the collision with the Amtrak train in New Kent County on September 3, 2024 (Courtesy of WAVY viewer)
Another view of the crashed boat (Courtesy of Virginia State Police)
Another view of the truck involved in the crash (Courtesy of Virginia State Police)
Photos first sent to 10 On Your Side from a viewer showed the train next to the crashed truck and trailer, and the boat in the middle of the road with damage. WAVY’s Chopper 10 flew over the scene on Thursday afternoon.
A message was sent to Amtrak customers that said Train 67 would continue to be held as Amtrak personnel worked with local authorities. The train eventually was cleared to head out after noon, and the roadway was reopened later on.
Michelle Hall, a passenger on the train, says she didn’t even feel the impact of the crash.
“We didn’t hear anything or feel anything. Just stopped,” Hall said.
“I felt it because I was standing up and all of a sudden I kind of lurched over the side, and I was my like oh wow that was a big bump,” added passenger Allison Behnke. “And then somebody came up and said ‘oh I think we hit them.'”
Photos show damage to the Amtrak train that hit a vehicle on Oct. 3 in New Kent County (WAVY/Wyatt Young)
Photos show damage to the Amtrak train that hit a vehicle on Oct. 3 in New Kent County (WAVY/Wyatt Young)
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