VILLA RICA, Ga. - Emergency and utility crews in Villa Rica had a busy night after a tractor-trailer that got stuck on the tracks in front of the police department was destroyed by a passing train. The entire incident was caught on camera.
All that was left was a mangled trailer and truck cab with nearly a mile of debris. The truck was hauling meat which ended up being scattered along the tracks.
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Villa Rica train crash
The Villa Rica Police Department released this video of a train striking a tractor-trailer stuck on the tracks on Sept. 24, 2020.
It happened around 4 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Highway 78 and S. Carroll Road. Villa Rica Police Department cameras were rolling as the crossing guards started to come down. It appears the truck pulled forward and got stuck on the track. A nearby officer saw what was going on and had his lights on, keeping traffic away.
Then it happened. The train pushed and hen sliced through the trailer, casting a line of raw meat along a parallel roadway and the railroad tracks. Thankfully, no one was injured, but several of the rail crossings needed additional repairs and remained closed as of late Thursday. Security cameras on the headquarters for the Villa RIca Police Department were rolling when it happened.
The police chief credits city of Villa Rica utility crews, Norfolk Southern Railway crews, and TCR Wrecker Service for getting the accident cleaned up and roads and the railway reopened in a 2-hour period, despite the massive amount of debris. The crossguards were completely destroyed in the crash and will need to be replaced.
There are signs in the area that restrict 6-wheel truck traffic in the area.
Police said charges are pending.
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