COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. — Injured crew members have been released from the hospital and a Norfolk Southern rail line has been reopened after Tuesday’s derailment of a train that hit a 134-foot concrete bridge beam being transported by truck, WRCB-TV reports.
The rail line reopened Wednesday morning, while the grade crossing that was the site of the accident was expected to reopen Wednesday afternoon. Three locomotives and 10 cars derailed after striking the beam on Tuesday afternoon, injuring two NS crew members [see “NS train derails …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 20, 2022.]
Collegedale police identified the truck’s driver as 64-year-old Jorge Luis Cruz-Vega of Martinez, Ga., who was driving for Starrette Houston Trucking of Augusta, Ga. Police said they will not comment on possible charges against Cruz-Vega while their investigation continues.
The beam was bound for a nearby road-widening project involving a bridge on State Route 317, WRCB reports. A Tennessee Department of Transportation spokeswoman said that because beams are manufactured specifically for each project, replacement of the one destroyed Tuesday could delay the highway project.
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