Box truck hit by train in Westmoreland County, porch of nearby home destroyed
A driver in West Newton took a wrong turn at a railroad crossing on Thursday morning, which landed them stuck on the tracks.
For Gary Johnson, it was just another normal morning. He heard the train coming before things went boom and began to shake. That sound was a box truck completely wiping out his front porch.
Somehow, no one was hurt, but after the box truck became stuck on the railroad tracks around 5:30 a.m. Thursday morning, it was hit by a CSX train and sent into Johnson's porch.
The driver was from out of town and headed to the post office to deliver Amazon packages when his GPS led him the wrong way and onto the tracks. The truck became stuck, and the train was unable to stop in time.
"I know the driver was extremely upset and scared, and rightfully so, because if the officer had not gotten to him, he could've been hit by the train," explained West Newton Mayor Mary Popovich.
For Mayor Popovich and Police Chief Dustin Sanner, this is a problem they've seen before, just never this severe. Their hope now is that this close call can lead to change and awareness of the crossings.
"For whatever reason, some GPS tells you there's a street there," Chief Sanner said. "If you're not from town, you don't know there's not a street, it's just tracks."
"We realize there is an issue, so we need to work with PennDOT to put some signs up, and then we have to figure out how to get the mapping done correctly," added Mayor Popovich.
Finally, Mayor Popovich took the time to remind drivers that if you're at a railroad crossing and having an emergency or a problem, look for the blue sign. From there, call the number on the sign and give the operator the code.
However, if you have an emergency, call 911.