COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. — The driver of a truck transporting a concrete bridge beam that was hit by a Norfolk Southern train at a grade crossing, derailing the train, has been arrested as a result of the incident.
Police in Collegedale, Tenn., have charged Jorge Luis Cruz-Vega, 64, of Martinez, Ga., with failure to yield, felony reckless endangerment, and a registration violation as a result of the Dec. 20 incident.
Cruz-Vega’s truck was stopped at a traffic light, leaving the 137-foot bridge beam fouling the grade crossing, when the NS train came through and struck the beam, derailing the train’s three locomotives and first 10 cars, and sending two crew members to the hospital for treatment of what proved to be minor injuries [see “NS train derails after hitting truck …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 20, 2022].
In a news release, police say Cruz-Vega proceeded across the grade crossing behind his lead escort car without first assuring his tractor trailer could completely clear the tracks, and that he failed to contact or make arrangements with Norfolk Southern about his delivery route. Cruz-Vega had brought his truck into the oncoming traffic lane before stopping, where it was hit by the oncoming train.
Cruz-Vega has been released on a $10,000 bond. His court date has been set for April 12, 2023.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that the 106,000-pound beam — which had a total cost, including delivery and installation, of $35,000 — was destroyed. It was bound for a $97.2 million road project in Collegedale.
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