Agricultural Truck Hit Track Prior To Amtrak Derailment

Federal safety officials on Tuesday said an agricultural truck had earlier struck the railroad tracks just 25 feet (7.6 meters) from where an Amtrak passenger train derailed in Kansas this week, injuring some three dozen people. The track shifted about a foot (30 centimeters) following the impact, National Transportation Safety Board Member Earl Weener told reporters at a news conference. He said they would not confirm the cause of the crash at this time. Weener said the train was traveling at the posted speed limit of 60 mph (97 kph) and the train’s engineer promptly applied the emergency brakes.