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.
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.
West Newton Emergency Management wants you to know about the blue signs at every railroad crossing. If you ever get stuck or have an emergency, you can call the number on the sign and give them the number on the sign to describe your location.
Popovich said CSX has reached out to the homeowner to offer assistance.
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