2 Killed, 14 Hurt as Train Hits Truck, Derails in N. Carolina

An Amtrak passenger train struck a dump truck and derailed Tuesday after the truck’s driver apparently drove around a lowered crossing gate, police said. Two people were killed.

Witnesses reported the gate and a light at the crossing were working before the truck, loaded with gravel, drove onto the tracks, a police spokesman said.

The collision, which occurred around 12:35 p.m., knocked the train’s engine and four of its seven cars off the tracks although they remained upright, Assistant Fire Chief Bryant Woodall said.

The upended dump truck came to rest nearby with its cab and rear axle separated from the cargo box.

Killed were the truck’s driver, Chris McCullough, 34, of Garner, and passenger Keith Spence, 33, of Raleigh.

There were no serious injuries among the 180 passengers and crew on the train. Fourteen passengers with minor injuries were taken to a hospital, authorities said.

Passengers said they felt the train lurch twice when it collided with the truck.

A small amount of diesel fuel spilled, Woodall said.

The northbound train, the Carolinian, was heading to New York from Charlotte.