Decatur, Georgia: CSX Train Tears Through Tractor-Trailer Stuck on the Tracks, No One Hurt

DECATUR, Georgia. A CSX freight train tore through a tractor-trailer that was stuck on the tracks at a railroad crossing in Decatur on Thursday morning, scattering the truck's load of large paper rolls across the roadway. No one was injured.

What happened

The collision happened at a railroad crossing along West College Avenue, near Agnes Scott College, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. Video from the scene showed a CSX train and the tractor-trailer with cargo scattered on the ground near the tracks.

Channel 2 Action News reported that the truck had become stuck on the tracks. The truck's cab had made it across the crossing, but the trailer was still sitting in the train's path when the freight train came through and crashed into it. Cellphone video given to the station captured the moment of the impact.

The force of the crash tore the trailer apart. Crews later found parts of the semi-truck on opposite sides of the tracks, while the train itself stayed on the rails.

No one was hurt

Police said the truck driver was not injured. Nobody aboard the train was hurt, and there were no pedestrians near the crossing at the time of the collision, Channel 2 reported.

FOX 5 reported that police officers were at the scene directing drivers through the area as crews responded, and that the crash caused traffic disruptions near the college.

Cleanup and investigation

The truck was carrying large rolls of paper. Dozens of the rolls, each weighing hundreds of pounds, were scattered near the tracks, and cleanup crews worked to remove the debris and the wrecked trailer from the crossing area.

Police and railroad officials are still investigating how the truck became stuck. One possibility investigators are looking at is that the truck stalled or bottomed out at the crossing, Channel 2 reported, but the exact cause has not been determined. FOX 5 reported that the circumstances of the crash remain under investigation and that the full extent of the road closures was not immediately clear.

Drivers in the area were sent around the scene while the work went on. Channel 2 reported from the crossing that it was not yet clear how long the roadway would stay blocked, and its live coverage showed crews still clearing the scattered paper rolls and debris on Thursday while investigators documented the wreckage.