A truck driver was critically injured after the H&P water truck he was driving collided with an intermodal train in Barstow, TX around 3 p.m Sunday.
The accident occurred when the driver, R. Inocente Villalobos, failed to yield the right way to an eastbound Union Pacific train in Ward County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Union Pacific officials said that when the train struck the 80,000 pound water truck on the passenger side door, the cab fell over on one side of the tracks, while the trailer was pushed off the other side. Three engines and about 10 freight cars derailed but didn’t roll, while about 1,000 feet of track were also damaged, they said.
Villalobos, a new company hire from Albuquerque who goes by Raul, was airlifted from the scene to Medical Center Hospital where he remained in critical condition Monday.
The train’s conductor suffered a minor arm injury but felt he didn’t need medical attention.
At the private train crossing where the accident occured, there is no grade-crossing equipment or crossing arms, only a yield and railroad crossing sign. These are mainly for water haulers and not meant for the general public, according to officials.
The track was scheduled to reopen Monday evening after cranes lift derailed cars out of the way.
Sources