News

Actions

WITNESS: Truck tried to beat train at Robious and Huguenot

Posted at 5:42 PM, Sep 12, 2013
and last updated 2013-09-12 23:54:07-04

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WTVR) --A train versus pickup truck collision in Chesterfield county clogged one intersection for hours, forcing drivers to find a detour.

It happened at the intersection of Huguenot and Robious roads.

Authorities say no one was hurt, despite the train hitting a pickup truck that was driven by a woman with her toddler son and her teen daughter in the vehicle.

Chesterfield Fire and EMS' Lt. Jason Elmore said the train was traveling slowly when it hit the truck. As a result, no one was injured and everyone made it safely out of the truck.

Speaking via her sister-in-law, the truck driver told CBS 6 that the train passed through the intersection and didn’t sound the horn. She also said that the flashing red lights on the arm at the railroad crossing never activated.

One witness who was at the scene told us a different story. Teresa Moss said “lights were flashing, he was honking because I had my window down.” Moss said she noticed the driver moments before the collision.

“I was coming down Robious and she was swerving and it caught my attention. When I got up beside her she was on the phone. Then I saw her go and turn. I heard the train coming but she kept going anyway. The gate came down on the bed of the car. She backed up a couple of times” Moss explained.

The witness says she just doesn’t believe the driver was paying attention and that she was trying to beat the train. The driver’s sister in law says she’s thankful no one was injured and adds the driver wasn’t cited by Chesterfield police.

“They said they weren’t going to give her a ticket because it wasn’t her fault” the relative explained. CBS 6 News reached out to Norfolk Southern Corporation for a statement. We also contacted Chesterfield Police to verify whether or not the woman driving the pickup truck was ticketed.

We are still waiting on return calls.

Traffic was delayed for hours, with the train blocking the intersection.