Texas Freight Train Collision Injures 2, No Hazmat Onboard

A train collision and subsequent derailment injured two rail employees in Texas Sunday night, according to a company official.

A Union Pacific freight train collided with an unoccupied train that was parked on a siding around 7 p.m. in Chico, Texas, Union Pacific spokesperson Kristen South, said in an email to The Associated Press.

A locomotive engineer and conductor were being treated for injuries after the southbound train derailed following the accident near County Road 1540. No one else was on board the freight train, South said.

One patient was transported to a hospital by helicopter and the other was transported by ambulance to Wise Health System in Decatur, Texas, the Wise County Emergency Operations Center said in a statement.

Three locomotives and about 15 grain cars derailed, but the train was not carrying any hazardous materials, South said.

Asked about the speed of the train when the accident occurred, South said Union Pacific was investigating the cause of the accident and no other information was available at the time.

The Wise County Office of Emergency Management, Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and fire departments from Chico, Bridgeport, Lake Bridgeport and Sand Flat, Texas, responded to the crash scene.