Moment freight train slams into a tractor-trailer in New York

Heartstopping moment freight train slams into a tractor-trailer stuck on the tracks in upstate New York town after driver escaped to safety

  • Just 40 miles outside of NYC, a CSX freight train plowed into a semi-truck, completely demolishing it around 9.30am in Haverstraw, New York, on Thursday
  • The driver was able to get to a safe location before the train came plowing through less than five minutes later
  • The driver was delivering titanium pipes to a nearby factory when the heavy load scraped the tracks, causing the truck to get stuck

This is the shocking moment a freight train plowed into a semi-truck in New York, just minutes after the driver escaped to safety. 

Just 40 miles outside of New York City, a CSX freight train plowed into a semi-truck, completely demolishing it around 9.30am in Haverstraw, New York, on Thursday. 

A witness video, posted online, shows the heart-stopping moment the pair collided.  

The red-and-white striped railroad crossing gate was seen resting on top of the trailer as it blocked the train tracks seconds before the crash. 

The train, honking its horn several times, plows into the trailer at full speed, dragging the entire semi around a telephone pole. As the trailer smashed into the side of the moving train, it collapsed and its vinyl siding ripped off as the structure inside caved in, wood flying everywhere. 

Additional images of the impact shows the truck’s cab alongside the railroad with nothing but splintered wood behind it. 

No injuries were reported from the accident.  

Just 40 miles outside of New York City, a CSX freight train plowed into a semi-truck (pictured), completely demolishing it around 9.30am in Haverstraw, New York, on Thursday

The driver was able to get to a safe location before the train came plowing through five minutes later

Additional images of the impact shows the truck’s cab alongside the railroad with nothing but splintered wood behind it

The crossing at Route 9W and New Main Street has been shutdown for clean-up.  

The truck was carrying titanium pipes to a nearby plant when it stuck on the tracks. Haverstraw Police Captain John Gould told CBS News that the ‘load he had on was quite heavy, and just the contour of the road, the bed of the tractor-trailer got stuck. 

‘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.’ 

A person in the neighborhood had alerted the Haverstraw Police Department that the truck was stuck on the tracks and officers were able to inform the driver that a train was coming. 

The driver was able to get to a safe location before the train came plowing through less than five minutes later. 

 The train, honking its horn several times, plows into the trailer at full speed, dragging the entire semi around a telephone pole

As the trailer smashed into the side of the moving train, it collapsed and its vinyl siding ripped off as the structure inside caved in, wood flying everywhere

Haverstraw is located 40 miles outside of the city, near the New Jersey border 

When DailyMail.com asked CSX why the train had not been ordered to stop, a representative for the company sent an Operation Lifesaver flyer and reiterated: ‘Trains always have the right-of-way.’ 

In addition, trains cannot ‘stop quickly or swerve,’ according to Operation Lifesaver – a rail safety company. It can also take a train more than a mile – or 18 football fields – to stop if it is going more than 55mph. 

It is unclear how fast the train was traveling through Haverstraw. 

‘Only trains belong on tracks. It’s illegal and dangerous for people to walk on or be too close to railroad tracks, which are private property,’ OLI Executive Director Rachel Maleh said in the flyer. 

‘More than 60 percent of vehicle-train collisions occur at active railroad crossings with either crossing lights or gates,’ Operation Lifesaver said. 

An investigation into the collision is ongoing.  

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