Train smashes dump truck, kills one in Roanoke County

11:00 p.m.

By Angela Hatcher,
WSLS Reporter/Anchor

This is the information 10 On Your Side has collected throughout the afternoon and evening from Roanoke County Police, Norfolk Southern, the owner of the dump truck and from our crews at the scene.

The crash happened just after 1 p.m. Tuesday.  The train hit the dump truck while the truck was attempting to cross the tracks.  The truck’s fuel tank ruptured and the truck caught fire.

The driver died after being thrown from the truck.  One of the driver’s co-workers was able to pull the driver away from the flames.  Police have not released the driver’s name.

The truck is owned by King’s Hauling/Specialized Saw and Mower out of Salem.  Owner John King tells us the driver had about three years experience with the company.  King says his drivers cross the tracks going to and from a dump site several times a day.

Workers say the sun was blinding at the time of the crash.  One says he heard the train whistle and screeching.  He says those sounds were immediately followed by the sound of the impact.

The crossing intersects with Garman Road in the Fort Lewis area of Roanoke County near Salem.  The crossing is a private crossing on private property.  There are no gates or flashing lights.  The crossing is marked with a stop sign and a sign that reads ‘private railroad crossing look’. 

The train was carrying coal from West Virginia to North Carolina.  The train was heading east on the tracks.  The tracks run parallel to Route 460.  There was no derailment or major damage to the train.  The crew was not hurt.  The tracks and train were both inspected after the crash.  The train pulled away from the area about two and half hours after the crash. 

Clean up crews worked into the night pulling out and towing away the dump truck and scooping up the truck’s spilled load.

The crash is still being investigated.

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4:11 p.m.

Roanoke County Police just sent out an update.

Investigators say the dump truck was loaded with concrete.  The truck tried to cross the railroad tracks at the end of Garman Road, behind the Kroger warehouse.

A coal train going north hit the right side of the dump truck, throwing the truck’s driver from the dump truck, and killing him.  Police say the driver was not wearing a seat-belt.

The truck then caught fire.

Police are still investigating why the driver did not see the train coming.  There are no signals or gate at the railroad crossing.

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2:28 p.m.

Roanoke County Police say a train has smashed into a dump truck in Roanoke County.

Officers tell us the crash happened in the Fort Lewis area, near State Police headquarters, on the railroad tracks that run parallel to Route 460.

One person is dead.

A WSLS crew is near the scene.  More information as we get it.