WAVELAND, Miss. -- A truck driver whose trailer got stuck on a railroad track ran for safety Monday morning when he saw an oncoming freight train, said Waveland Police Chief James Varnell.
The truck's trailer was loaded with I-beams to rebuild St. Clare Catholic Church, which was destroyed by Katrina.
Officials with CSX Railroad later told police conductors saw the 18-wheeler and applied the train's emergency brakes but were unable to avoid the collision, Varnell said. The impact knocked the truck's load on both sides of the tracks.
The truck driver was not injured, nor were CSX personnel.
The crash occurred near Central and Coleman avenues around 8:20 a.m.
Varnell said the 18-wheeler owned by Goudeau Trucking became stuck on the tracks and the driver was out of the truck and using onboard airbags to lift the trailer. That's when he noticed a freight train coming his way, Varnell said.
The driver got away from the tracks before the train smashed into the trailer.
The driver's name was not released.
Varnell said the Waveland Fire Department also responded to the scene.
(The preceding article by Robin Fitzgerald was published December 28, 2009, by The Sun Herald.)
