Amtrak train hits back of semi-truck in Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. – An Amtrak train slammed into a semi-truck in Oregon, spilling the vehicle’s load but leaving passengers and the truck driver with nothing more than scrapes and bruises, authorities said Monday.

The semi-truck had been forced to stop on the tracks because of heavy traffic, Lt. Chris Baldridge of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. The collision happened at an intersection in the small community of Aurora, 25 miles south of Portland.

The train crumpled the back of the track, spilling 65,000 pounds of paper pulp that was to ultimately end up in China. The effort to move that pulp was expected to affect traffic for many hours.

The Amtrak Cascades 500 train travels northbound, and was going from Eugene, Oregon, to Seattle when the accident happened at 7:25 a.m., Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said.

Forty-three passengers were aboard, and they were bused to Portland to continue their journey. Neither they nor the crew needed to go to a hospital.

Graham said there was no derailment and the train would move before the next one was due to pass through the area.

The train was travelling 35 mph, Baldridge said. The maximum speed on that section of track is 60 mph.

Photos of the wrecked semi-trailer show it belonged to Haney Truck Line. A message left for officials at its northeast Portland office was not immediately returned.