Nearly 200 passengers were on an Amtrak train when it struck a truck in Moorpark. Video broadcast Wednesday June 28, 2023 on the NBC4 News at 3 p.m.
An Amtrak train with nearly 200 people on board partially derailed Wednesday when it slammed into a work truck at a crossing in the Ventura County community of Moorpark.
About 15 people on the Amtrak Coast Star Light train heading to Seattle suffered minor injuries, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. Firefighter-paramedics assessed passengers in pop-up tents set up at the site, and authorities said that number could change.
The truck driver was hospitalized, but details about his condition were not immediately available. He was speaking with law enforcement officers at the scene, the sheriff's department said.
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Details about why the truck was on the tracks were not immediately available.
The collision was reported at 11:18 a.m. near West Los Angeles Avenue and Montair Drive as the train headed to its next stop in Oxnard. None of the partially derailed train cars overturned.
Crews quickly doused a small fire under the train.
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Video showed what appeared to be wreckage from the demolished work truck -- likely delivering water to nearby farming operations -- scattered near the tracks. The train came to a stop after the collision with part of the truck in front.
"There were approximately 198 passengers and 13 crew onboard who were evacuated from the train, with no reports of serious injuries," Amtrak said in a statement. "The train derailed as a result of the impact but remained upright. Amtrak is working with customers to make alternate travel arrangements. Amtrak, in coordination with local authorities, is conducting a full investigation. "
"Suddenly, it flies forward," a passenger told NBCLA. "I felt a little bit of shaking. Really violent. I thought we were going off the rails. Then it stopped."
Passengers taken off the train waited in a nearby field as authorities assessed the scene. The passengers will be transported from the scene on a bus, authorities said.
Los Angeles Avenue was closed between Tierra Rejada Road and Hitch Boulevard.
Families and friends looking for information about passengers may call the information hotline 805-465–6650.
