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DENVER — An Amtrak worker from Utah was seriously injured and three other people suffered minor injuries when a passenger train derailed after it hit a tanker truck carrying milk in northeastern Colorado, authorities said.
The train worker, a 42-year-old man from Park City, suffered injuries in Monday night's crash that might be life-threatening, Colorado State Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Troy Kessler said Tuesday. He was taken to the hospital by helicopter.
Kessler said the semitruck had proceeded through a stop sign at the railroad track without yielding to the eastbound California Zephyr line, and the train collided with the left side of the truck's trailer at around 10 p.m. near Keenesburg, a town of about 1,300 people roughly 35 miles northeast of Denver.
Initially, it was reported only the train worker was injured, but after the passengers were transported to a different location, three passengers were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said he couldn't discuss the injured worker's condition due to privacy reasons.
The truck's driver, a 31-year-old man from Arkansas, and his 58-year-old passenger were both unharmed in the crash.
The crash is still under investigation but the truck is considered to be at fault, Kessler said. He did not know if the truck was stopped or moving when the train hit it.
There were 69 passengers on the train, which runs between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay area, Amtrak said. All of the passenger cars remained upright.
The tracks where the derailment happened were closed for repairs on Tuesday, preventing the Zephyr from making its full two-day trip, Magliari said. Passengers were being offered refunds or the ability to reschedule their trips.
