A passenger train collided with a FedEx semi truck after the safety arm failed to activate due to a power outage.
The incident happened in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday morning.
“In the event of a power outage or lack of signal, crossing gates are programmed to default to the “down and active” position as a safety precaution. Preliminary information indicates the gates were affected by the severe ice and snow conditions at the time and were in the default “down and active” position, as they are programmed. After an employee responded to the location, the gates moved to the up position. The agency has never had an accident like this before, and UTA is investigating why and how it happened to ensure it doesn’t occur again,” the Utah Transit Authority wrote in a statement.
In the dash cam video captured by North Salt Lake Police, two FedEx trucks can be seen crossing the tracks in opposite directions. The railroad’s safety arms and warning lights failed to activate due to a power outage, causing an oncoming train and one of the FedEx trucks to collide. The impact ripped open the trailer on impact, causing packages to spill onto the tracks.
The cab of the truck was not hit, and the driver made it out without injury.
North Salt Lake Police shared this footage from the scene.