PECOS, Texas — Two crew members have died after a Union Pacific train collided with a tractor-trailer truck on Wednesday (Dec. 18) and derailed, sending railcars into a trackside building.
The second death, of an individual who had been transported to Odessa, Texas, in serious condition, occurred this morning, officials said during a press conference today. Pecos Police Chief Lisa Tarango said the deceased workers were “veteran employees” of the railroad; their names have not yet been released pending notification of family members.
Three other people suffered minor injuries.
The incident occurred about 5 p.m. with a collision near Oak and Dot Stafford streets, and led to derailed cars hitting the Pecos Chamber of Commerce building, a former Texas & Pacific Railway station. Video circulating widely on social media shows the train hitting a truck carrying an oversized load that was blocking the grade crossing; Pecos city manager Charles Lino said officials would not address the specifics of the incident while investigators continue their work.
Individuals in the Chamber of Commerce building were among those who were treated for minor injuries and released. Ronald Lee, joint emergency services chief for Reeves County, said about two containers of hazardous materials from the train remain a focus of the cleanup, one of lithium-ion batteries and one of vehicle airbags, but that Union Pacific’s hazmat team says they are not currently a cause for concern.
Lee also said that the Chamber of Commerce building had suffered significant enough damage that no one is being allowed to enter the building until an engineer can determine it is safe to do so
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a post on X.com that it is sending a team of six investigators to the scene. Pecos city manager Charles Lino said the Federal Railroad Administration and Texas Department of Transportation were among the myriad of agencies involved in the investigation.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, in a statement today, said, “Our hearts go out to the families of the conductor and engineer who lost their lives” in the incident. The union said it is limited in what it can say about the incident because it is a party to the NTSB’s investigation, but that it “should serve as a wake-up call to legislators to improve rail safety all across the United States. All railroad accidents are avoidable.”
— Updated at 8:15 a.m. CT with NTSB investigation; revised and updated at 11:35 a.m. CT with new information from press conference. Updated at 12:30 p.m. CT with BLET statement.
I have a question, is there any state or federal requirement for liability coverage on trucks hauling oversize loads?
Another train vs Tractor trailer crash…when will they ever learn?
When will they begin requiring railroad permits for oversized or low clearance loads to cross railroad tracks?
Oversized loads are required to secure a permit. All route aspects are outlined on the permit. Drivers are given explicit routing instructions to prevent clearance issues. I don’t know what happened in this crash but I suspect that the truck took a shortcut instead of the prescribed route.