Three people suffered minor to moderate injuries after an Amtrak passenger train collided with an 18-wheeler dump truck near Duson Tuesday evening.
The crash happened around 5:40 p.m. at the intersection of Cameron Street and Hollier Road. Duson Fire Department Chief Coby Duhon said the 18-wheeler was traveling south on Hollier Road and crossed the tracks to proceed onto Cameron Street when the crash occurred. Investigators are still determining why the crash happened, he said.
The driver and passenger of the 18-wheeler were found alert and sitting near the tracks with minor and moderate injuries after the crash, the dump truck in multiple parts east of the railroad crossing. The Amtrak passenger train was stopped approximately a quarter mile down the tracks, a statement from Lafayette Fire Department spokesperson Alton Trahan said.
The two truck passengers and one train passenger were taken to an area hospital for treatment and evaluation.
"It could've been a whole lot worse. The truck was empty at the time, so God forbid if he was loaded — we don't know what would have happened," Duhon said.
The Duson Fire Department were the first responders on scene. Lafayette Fire Department's Hazmat team was called for assistance and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office, Acadian Ambulance and Louisiana State Police also responded, Trahan's statement said. BNSF Railway officials also conducted an inspection of the train tracks.
Duson firefighters and the Lafayette hazmat crew were able to safely contain the fluid and diesel spill from the dump truck.
There were 27 passengers and eight crew members on the Lake Charles to Lafayette Amtrak train at the time of the crash. One of the locomotive engines was damaged and towed to a railyard in Lafayette while the second engine was able to power the passenger cars to their Lafayette destination, Trahan's statement said.
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