One person is dead and two dozen are hurt after a logging truck collided with a sightseeing train in the West Virginia mountains on Friday.
The train, which was carrying 63 passengers and four crew members, was out on a fall sightseeing tour Friday afternoon, reportedly to catch the changing of the fall leaves. The train was in the middle of an 88-mile tour that took them through the mountains and ran about six-and-a-half hours long.
Their tour was cut short, however, when the driver of a logging truck suddenly ran through the crossing signal that he should have stopped at to let the train go by, crashing into the oncoming locomotive.
According to USA Today, two of the three cars on the Cheat Mountain Salamander train were turned on their side by the impact. The driver of the truck was the only one killed.
As many as 60 people were originally reported to have been injured in the crash by authorities, though hospital officials later reported that there had been dozens brought to the hospital with no injuries, reports the Washington Post. Out of the 23 injured, three were admitted to the hospital for further treatment with two in serious condition.
Those who did not have serious injuries were given “comfort care” before they left the hospital.
The names of the driver and the injured have not been released.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those involved and the emergency responders working the tragic accident in Randolph County this afternoon," W.Va. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin wrote in a statement.
"My administration is working with all agencies involved to ensure the first responders and emergency managers on the ground are receiving the assistance they need."