Wednesday 29 June 2022 01:45 AM Two adult sisters and truck driver among dead in Amtrak derailment as death ... trends now
The death toll in yesterday's deadly Missouri Amtrak wreck rose to four today, while officials confirmed approximately 150 people were hospitalized with injuries.
Two of the victims were the mother and aunt of a woman from Olathe, Kansas, KSHB reported.
Three of the victims were passengers - two died in the wreck and the third passed later at a nearby hospital.
The fourth today was the driver of the dump truck that the train collided with.
Eight train cars were derailed and flipped on their side after the train's locomotive struck the at a railroad crossing in Mendon, Missouri, while going about 90mph.
In a statement, Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed said that those hospitalized suffered 'injuries that range from minor to serious in nature.'
Amtrak officials said there were approximately 275 passengers onboard the train, and twelve crew members.
The identities of the victims have not been released.
The death toll in yesterday's deadly Missouri Amtrak wreck rose to four today, while officials confirmed approximately 150 people were hospitalized with injuries.
Eight train cars flipped on their side after the train's locomotive struck a dump truck at a railroad crossing
Amtrak officials said there were approximately 275 passengers onboard the train, and twelve crew members
The train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it collided with the dump truck, which was blocking the public crossing over the tracks.
One of the train's locomotives was derailed and thrown sideways off of the tracks, and eight of its cars toppled over onto the ground with them. Photos from the wreck showed the dump truck completely destroyed.
State Highway Patrol Lt. Eric Brown said there was still an 'active and ongoing investigation at the scene' yesterday evening
The collision occurred at the uncontrolled Porch Prairie Avenue gravel road crossing, which has no electronic warning devices or gates, officials said.
Three of the victims were passengers - two died in the wreck and the third passed later at a nearby hospital - and the fourth was the driver of the dump truck
In a statement, Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed said that those hospitalized suffered 'injuries that range from minor to serious in nature.'
The ruined carnage of the dump truck can is seen at center with work crews gathered around it
Several locals noted that the crossing was long known for being extremely dangerous, and said that the railroad knew about the danger but did nothing to address it.
Mike Spencer, 64, said he had long been advocating for safety upgrades at crossings in Mendon, Missouri, where the intersection at Porche Prairie Avenue had been slated for improvements for four months before the train's collision with the dump truck.
'They knew it was unsafe,' Spencer told the Kansas City Star. 'That was pretty much a no-brainer... I predicted this was going to happen. I was certain this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time.'
Spencer said he had been pushing Amtrak and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) to do something about that intersection for years as farmers cross it daily to get to their fields, urging them to build the road up, add signal lights, or even just clear out some of the brush blocking the view.
'In November, nothing was done,' Spencer told the Star about his latest efforts to get improvements to the intersection. 'I contacted them, they said, 'Don't put any pressure on them. They're working on it.'
'They never even offered to cut brush back for us so we could at least see,' he added. 'I
