Train hits box truck, pushes it into home in Westmoreland County

WEST NEWTON, Pa. — A train hit a box truck in Westmoreland County, pushing it into a building.

The crash happened around 5:30 a.m. at the intersection of North Water Street and East Main Street in West Newton.

The driver of the truck, who was delivering Amazon packages, told emergency responders that his GPS told him to turn onto the train tracks, where he became stuck, according to West Newton Fire Chief Dustin Sanner.

“He wasn’t from here. He’s not familiar, and he was trying to get to the post office. He was panicking, trying to get the truck off the tracks, and he couldn’t,” West Newton Mayor Mary Popovich said.

The driver was able to get out of the truck before it was hit by the train and pushed into a home.

The homeowner was getting ready to work at his restaurant on the other side of the home.

“He was awake, you know cause he gets up early to bake and stuff. And he said he heard a ruckus and he wasn’t quite sure he didn’t go down the stairs,” Popovich said.

No one was injured.

The mayor said CSX has contacted the homeowner and helped following the crash.

Sanner told Channel 11 that this is not the first time a GPS has led drivers onto the train tracks.

“Unfortunately, that has been an issue in West Newton. We run about half a dozen a year cause same exact track for people who follow the GPS,” he said.

Popovich said the borough is working to determine whether mapping services can be corrected to prevent future incidents.

“We’re going to try to get together and figure out the best way — is there anything we can do to get these maps corrected?” she said. “We certainly don’t want this to keep happening.”

Emergency management officials are also reminding drivers that blue signs posted at every railroad crossing include a phone number to call if a vehicle becomes stuck on the tracks.

“This immediately tells the railroad and everybody out there where you’re at and what the issue is,” said Paul Williams, the emergency management coordinator.

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