Child is among 3 dead after Amtrak train hits a pickup truck in upstate New York
NEW YORK (AP) — A child was among the three victims killed when a passenger train hit a pickup truck, officials said.
The northbound Amtrak train hit a Dodge truck Friday evening in North Tonawanda, New York, a small town along the Niagara River between Niagara Falls and Buffalo, police said.
The victims included a 6-year-old boy, a 66-year-old woman, and a 69-year-old man, North Tonawanda Police Department Captain Daryl Truty said in a statement posted on Saturday. The names of the victims had not been released as of Sunday morning.
None of the Amtrak crew or its 21 passengers were injured in the crash, Amtrak spokesperson Olivia Irvin said in a statement. The train was on its way from New York City to Niagara Falls when the accident happened.
The pickup was so severely damaged that heavy equipment was required to reach the victims, the North Tonawanda firefighter’s union said in a statement. All three victims died at the scene.
Further details, including the location of the vehicle at the time of the crash, were not released.
Local television and print media citing eyewitnesses reported that the pickup had become trapped between railroad gates at a rail crossing. The reports from WIVB and The Buffalo News say there was a disabled vehicle and police vehicles near the crossing before the crash.
Messages seeking comment were left Sunday with the North Tonawanda police and mayoral officials.