Norfolk Southern train derails after collision with semitruck

Over a dozen train cars were derailed in Collegedale, Tennessee, when a Norfolk Southern train collided with a vehicle in a crossing on Tuesday. 

Collegedale’s police department first announced the disruption just before 1 p.m. Eastern time, writing on Twitter that there had “been a train derailment at University Drive and Apison Pike.” The department advised travelers to avoid the area and find an alternate route, noting that the rail crossing was closed. 

A spokesperson for Norfolk Southern confirmed to CBS News that the train had hit the vehicle. Two crew members were taken to a hospital, the company said, and Amy Maxwell, the public information officer for Hamilton County, where Collegedale is located, said there were only “two minor injuries.” 

“Three locomotives and 10 cars then derailed (none of those cars contained hazardous materials),” the Norfolk Southern spokesperson told CBS News, adding that company personnel and contract derailment specialists are responding to the scene.

Maxwell confirmed that the vehicle was a semitruck carrying 60-foot concrete trusses for road construction. The car did not clear the train tracks, possibly because of a stop light on the other side of the tracks, Maxwell said. 

Maxwell also said the collision led to a “large amount of diesel” being spilled, but first responders are containing the fuel. 

Video of the aftermath shows the train’s cars scattered around the tracks. First responders can be seen monitoring the area.