Heartland Flyer collides with abandoned truck

PURCELL, Okla.(AP) _ An Amtrak train struck an abandoned pickup truck Thursday night and dragged the vehicle about one-quarter mile before the train came to stop. <br/><br/>The 1952 GMC, which was left

Friday, June 25th 2004, 10:47 am

By: News On 6

PURCELL, Okla.(AP) _ An Amtrak train struck an abandoned pickup truck Thursday night and dragged the vehicle about one-quarter mile before the train came to stop.

The 1952 GMC, which was left in the intersection of two train tracks, caught on fire just after 9 p.m. Thursday, but no injuries were reported, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.

Authorities were still looking for the owner of the vehicle Friday morning.

Amtrak officials said the Heartland Flyer was returning to Oklahoma City from Fort Worth, Texas. The train was delayed for nearly three hours while the wreckage was cleared from the track.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said there were no railway crossings in the area where the vehicle was abandoned.

``Railroads are designed for trains, not for pedestrians and passenger cars,'' Magliari said. ``There were no injuries to the crew or passengers, but this is a dangerous thing to do because it puts other people at risk, whether it's passengers in the train or the engineer in the control unit.''