A Durham, North Carolina intersection turned into a hazmat scene Tuesday morning when an Amtrak passenger train barreled into an 18-wheeler that had stalled across the tracks. The collision, which unfolded just before 10 a.m. near the intersection of East Pettigrew and Ramseur/Grant Street, left the semi’s cab crushed and one of its saddle fuel tanks ruptured, sending diesel spilling across the road.
The Durham Fire Department’s HAZMAT team responded to contain the spill, with Durham County Emergency Management coordinating a cleanup crew to handle the environmental response.
The truck driver, who asked to remain anonymous, later recounted the harrowing moment to CBS 17. According to the driver, once his rig was on the railroad track, he had no warning the train was approaching. “I didn’t hear a train horn,” he said. “There wasn’t time to react. Even if I had time to pull forward, I would have got hit.”…