Officials say a CSX train collided with a dump truck at a railroad crossing in Paint Township Wednesday morning.
Authorities say the triaxle truck attempted to cross the railroad trucks before it was struck by the train around 10:30 a.m.
“The CSX locomotive was sounding its horns and they had visual warnings on, and the construction vehicle, for whatever reason, wasn’t able to stop and yield to the locomotive,”
Fire crews say the train pushed the truck out of the way during the collision.
“The train did come to a stop. It was about 150 to 200 feet past the crossing.”
Officials say the driver of the truck was not injured, but two people on the train were transported to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center and the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
Authorities say the crash also put a hole in one of the four cars on the train causing oil to spill into a local waterway.
“There was approximately 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel in that fuel cell, so we had to initiate protocol to get a control of that leak in that fuel cell. On top of that, we had diesel fuel that had gone down through the cracked bed and along the bank and did get into the Stonycreek River.”
Somerset County Emergency Services Director Joel Landis says the spill is contained, but there may be puddles of oil, called oil sheen, forming on the water in the coming days.
Authorities say because of the oil spill, the scene will be monitored in the coming days.
Officials say the road opened back up around 6 p.m. Wednesday evening.