Bridgeport Fire Department staff was dispatched to a call this morning in Taylor County that was off of Route 76 on Sandy Hollow Road near the crossing. The call was for a collision between a train and a West Virginia Division Highways paver.

 

“Apparently, they had the paver stopped and the train was coming and the individual on the paver thought they were clear, which wasn’t the case,” said Bridgeport Fire Chief Phil Hart. “The individual on the paver jumped off to safety and the train struck the back end of the paver.”

 

While the paver suffered some heavy damage, the occupant on it did not. Hart said there was no injuries.

 

“There also didn’t appear to be any damage to the train or the tracks,” said Hart. “However, CSX was planning on the doing an inspection as we were leaving.”

 

Hart said the Bridgeport Fire Department checked for hazards on the tracks and made sure the paver was no longer a threat to be hit again along the tracks. He said the train appeared to be fine, but that CSX would make the final determination on that.

 

The situation, however, could have been much more serious. Hart said the train consisted of 73 fully-loaded cars, primarily holding building materials. However, there were also several cars that had LP (liquefied petroleum) gas in them, along with seven engines.

 

“With those LP gas tanks on there, we’re fortunate how things turned out,” said Hart.

 

Hart said the Bridgeport Fire Department was the only agency on the scene. He said once they arrived Bridgeport alerted Flemington Volunteer Fire Department to cancel their arrival due to no hazards.

 

“The West Virginia Division of Highways was there and CSX was there. There were no real traffic issues, but the little side road on to Route 76 was closed,” said Hart.