Three people, including a 6-year-old boy, were killed when an Amtrak train from the Big Apple slammed into a pickup truck in upstate New York.
The northbound train struck the Dodge truck shortly before 8 p.m. in North Tonawanda, a Niagara County town near Buffalo, police said.
“The North Tonawanda police and fire departments responded and made every effort to help save the three individuals inside the vehicle,” the upstate police department said in a press release.
“Despite their best efforts all three occupants were pronounced dead at the scene,” the release said. “The three occupants were a 69-year-old male, a 66-year-old female and a 6-year-old male.”
Amtrak spokesperson Olivia Irvin said none of the 21 passengers aboard the train reported injuries following the collision.
The train had departed from the Big Apple and was headed for Niagara Falls when it hit the vehicle.
Photos posted on Facebook by the North Tonawanda firefighter’s union show the aftermath of the crash, with the pickup truck reduced to a mangled metal — and emergency personnel forced to pry open the vehicle to remove the three bodies.
All three were pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not released their names.
First responders at the scene were debriefed and offered counseling and mental health services, firefighter’s Local 1333 said in the post.
Witnesses who spoke to local media said the truck became lodged between the gates at the railroad crossing and became disabled.
According to WGTZ-TV News, it was the second time this year that a vehicle was struck by a train in North Tonawanda.
On Jan. 16 a 2021 Hyundai Elantra was struck after coming to a full stop on the tracks at Witmer Road, the outlet reported.
The 29-year-old driver was rushed to an area hospital where she died.
Messages seeking comment were left Sunday with the North Tonawanda police and mayoral officials.
With Post wires
