
A truck driver is lucky to be alive after a collision with a train that left him trapped inside his demolished cab for over an hour.
The accident happened on Wednesday morning in Calera, Alabama.
According to WIAT, the tractor trailer was crossing the railroad tracks on Highway 25, south of Shelby County Road 42, when it was struck by a train.
The collision derailed approximately 5 train cars and completely destroyed the tractor trailer, trapping the truck driver inside his cab for over an hour.
Firefighters from the Calera Fire Department were eventually able to rescue the driver from the wreckage and he was sent to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.
“It’s amazing that the truck driver escaped with his life,” said Calera Fire Chief Sean Kendrick.
BREAKING: BAD train ax in Calera on Hwy 25 near fire station #3, train cars have derailed. Viewer photo #wbrc pic.twitter.com/J96YW1v5c6
— Sherea Harris (@ShereaHarris) September 27, 2017
“I heard it [the train] lay on the horn one time real, real long. It ain’t like it usually does,” said Heath Phillips, a witness to the crash.
“I heard the explosion. I heard it holler and screeching, and then, man, I looked and there was dust and I heard the big engine up on the front, I heard it roll off the side,” Phillips continued.
“I was able to tell 911 that it hasn’t just derailed, it actually hit a truck,” he said.
“My uncle said he seen it. He said the cab looked like it was about 4-foot wide. He said he doesn’t know how it didn’t kill the guy. He was supposed to die,” added Phillips.
One person aboard the train was also taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
Highway 25 has since been cleared, but officials expect crews will be working to clean up the destroyed semi truck and derailed train cars for quite some time.
Officials say the railroad crossing signals were functioning at the time of the accident. The exact cause of the crash is not yet known.
The identity of the truck driver has not been released.