A 40-year-old Georgia truck driver died in a SunRail crash when a train smashed into his semi tractor trailer. In order to reach the loading dock where he was delivering fencing material, Stephen Chambers had moved his truck onto the tracks. Area workers say it is a common practice because it the only way for semis to unload deliveries at the factory, ACF Environmental. The business is located near Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Plumosa Avenue in Altamonte Springs.
Witnesses say Chambers was unloading before the crash, when he heard the signal that a train was approaching. He climbed back into the cab of the truck so he could move it out of the way of the approaching train. Bystanders screamed at him to get out of the truck because the train, which was traveling at 60 miles per hour, was about to crash into the truck. Chambers did not get out fast enough. He died instantly when the train hit the truck. There were 38 passengers on the train, which was traveling north between the Altamonte Springs and Longwood SunRail stations. The accident did not injure any passengers.
A Train Crash Waiting to Happen
According to a report by BayNews9, people who work in the area say a SunRail crash with a truck was bound to happen. Workers in the area say that semi drivers have no choice. They have to rest their trucks on the SunRail train tracks to unload. They say that there have been many near-misses and that a truck crash was just a matter of time.
This is just the latest SunRail crash. This year eight people have died after being hit by trains. In August, a 70-year-old man on a bicycle was killed while crossing the tracks in Lake Mary. And the next month, a pedestrian was killed by a SunRail train in Longwood.
The Orlando car accident attorneys at Martinez Manglardi can help if a transportation injury has affected your life. For a free consultation about recovering losses and paying medical bills, call 407-846-2240.