Freight train hits stuck semi, blocks highway
HALSEY, Ore. -- A truck driver drove past a sign prohibiting trucks from using a railroad crossing, causing the trailer to become high-centered before being splintered by a southbound freight train. | Photos
The Linn County Sheriff's Office cited Juan Vitela Salinas, 52, of Pacoima, Calif., for failure to obey a no though trucks sign and obstructing a railroad crossing.
The southbound freight train hit the trailer full of grass seed being pulled by Salinas' 2005 Kenworth tractor trailer around 7 a.m., demolishing the trailer and blocking traffic at the scene.
The crash occured in Halsey, Ore., where Route 228 crosses Highway 99E.
The train's crew was unable to stop the train and they estimated the speed at about 40 miles per hour at impact. The impact severed the trailer in two and scattered bags of grass seed and wooden pallets over a large area adjacent to the tracks.
The train blocked the highway during the investigation. All lanes had re-opened to traffic by 1:15 p.m.
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