Several suffer minor injuries in Amtrak crash

[October 01, 2011]  ANTIOCH, Calif. (AP) -- Several people were hurt Friday evening when an Amtrak passenger train collided with a truck at a rural crossing in Northern California, authorities said.

Several people on the train, which was carrying 204 passengers, suffered "minor to moderate injuries," Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said.

The driver of the truck was not hurt and the train did not derail after the crash. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Graham said the incident is under investigation.

Graham said she did not know the exact number of people hurt, but said many suffered only bumps and bruises.

Graham did not know how fast the train was going at the time of the collision in an unincorporated area of Contra Costa County. She said she did not know whether there were warning lights or barriers to mark the crossing, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/rabwFO).

Graham says the southbound Amtrak San Joaquin train No. 718 hit the tractor trailer around 7:30 p.m. east of Antioch.

Graham says the train departed from Oakland at 5:50 p.m. and was bound for Bakersfield. Amtrak arranged for alternate transportation for passengers.

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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/

[Associated Press]

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