A collision between a car and an Amtrack Train in East Texas town displaced several travelers over the weekend.  Saturday morning, the passenger train struck a vehicle that was stuck at the crossing on Stephens road east of Hallsville.  KSLA reports that the vehicle was being towed when the tow strap broke and stranded the inoperable vehicle right on the tracks.

Even though the conductor saw the incident and started braking procedures immediately, the train was unable to stop in time and subsequently struck the vehicle.  That impact and the fire that ensued damaged the train engine and computer system.  That damage shut off electricity to the rest of the passenger cars, which meant no air conditioning.  The children, elderly, and infirmed were evacuated to a local church to avoid heat related issues .  A new engine was dispatched from Shreveport in order to get the train back to Marshall Texas.

Although a few passengers did report symptoms of heat exhaustion, no injuries were reported. Amtrack will arrange for transportation for all the affected passengers.

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