A freight train plowed into a semi-truck, completely obliterating it mere minutes after the driver escaped.
The shocking crash happened about 40 miles outside of New York City in the upstate town of Haverstraw.
A video recorded by a witness and shared on social media showed a tractor trailer sitting at an intersection. Suddenly, freight truck glides through, barreling into the semi-truck and continuing on its tracks.
The truck is instantly torn apart, with pieces of wood flying in the air.
‘Luckily that driver was able to get out before the train struck the trailer and no one was hurt.’
The truck was transporting titanium pipes to a plant and got stuck on the train tracks, according to Haverstraw Police Captain John Gould. The load the truck was carrying ‘was quite heavy’, he told CBS News.
‘And just the contour of the road, the bed of the tractor-trailer got stuck,’ said Gould.
‘It kind of scraped (the tracks), which made him stop, and he was in the process of trying to figure out his way to get himself off. But unfortunately for him, the train was coming at that time.’
Day, a former police commander, thanked emergency responders for quickly getting to the crash which occurred around 9.30am. Day said he understood and appreciated ‘exactly how much hard work is going into securing a scene of this magnitude’.
‘Drivers need to heed extra caution when traveling over train tracks and should never, ever, proceed to wait for a traffic light on train tracks,’ he said.
‘Always maintain a safe distance from the crossing gates and only cross train tracks if you’re able to safely get to the other side.’
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