This is a breaking story and will be updated.
A FedEx driver died after an Amtrak train crashed into a truck near Pleasant Hill, Missouri, Tuesday morning.
The FedEx truck was attempting to cross the tracks on Hereford Road and Smart Road in Big Creek Township, just north of Pleasant Hill. The train, which departed from Kansas City, Missouri, was on its way to St. Louis.
According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, the driver failed to yield to the southbound train when the train struck the FedEx truck, killing the driver.
The crossing where the crash occurred is private and at grade with the road — private crossings are not required to have signs or other markings and are located on roads that aren't publicly maintained. The railroad is operated by Union Pacific.
The intersection is marked only with stop signs and signs indicating a private crossing, making it a passive intersection. The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended lights and bells at passive crossings since the 1990s. Missouri has about 3,500 passive crossings like the one where the crash occurred.
An Amtrak Alert confirmed that the Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner Train 318 terminated service east of Lee’s Summit due to the crash.
The train left Kansas City’s Union Station Tuesday morning, headed to Chicago via St. Louis.
Marc Magliari, a public relations manager for Amtrak, said the train incurred windshield damage but no passengers or crew were injured.
Amtrak is now using charter buses to get the 29 passengers to their destination in Chicago — the destination for Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner train.
In a statement, Magliari said Amtrak is working with Operation Lifesaver to stop crashes along railroads by “emphasizing the obvious dangers of being on railroad property or disregarding warnings at rail crossings.”
“These incidents can affect everyone involved — those who are injured or die and their families, our train crews, and our passengers,” Magliari said in a statement. “They also serve as critical reminders about the importance of obeying the law and of exercising extreme caution around railroad tracks and crossings.”
This crash comes just seven months after another Amtrak train derailed near Mendon, Missouri, after hitting a dump truck at a public crossing. That incident left four dead and dozens injured.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is currently at the scene investigating the incident.
