NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. — Just over 48 hours after a deadly train collision in North Tonawanda, officials still can’t explain what they saw.
“I can tell you everybody's hurting,” North Tonawanda Police Chief Keith Glass said Sunday. “My guys are not doing great. I'm sure Chief Sikora’s guys are not doing great. I'm not doing great.”
Just before 8 p.m. Friday, a pickup truck carrying three people turned off River Road onto Felton Street and stopped in the middle of train tracks, as the railroad’s gates closed around them.
An oncoming Amtrak train struck the pickup truck, pushing it several hundred feet and killing all three passengers — a 69-year-old man, a 66-year-old woman and a 6-year-old-boy. The victims have not been identified.
Debris from the vehicle still remained along the tracks Sunday afternoon.
Authorities say they are still unsure why the truck stopped on the tracks, but they confirmed that a traffic stop was taking place directly on the other side of the tracks.
A witness told 2 On Your Side they believe that traffic stop is what prevented the pick up truck from crossing.
Many are left wondering why Felton Street was not closed to oncoming traffic as a result, but the police chief said there was no reason to shut it down for a traffic stop.
Amtrak told 2 On Your Side train No. 281 was involved. That train was going from New York City to Niagara Falls when the collision happened. There have been no reported injuries to the 21 passengers or crew onboard.
Officials in North Tonawanda say they are continuing to work with CSX on the investigation and that the agency has jurisdiction over railroad crossings.
“We're always looking for more of a partnership,” North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec said.
They’re also reviewing safety measures like enhanced signage and lighting as well as a public awareness campaign around railroad crossings.
This is the second fatal accident involving a vehicle and a train in North Tonawanda this year.
The first crash happened about a half-mile away from Friday’s incident on the morning of Jan. 16 at Witmer Road near River Road. That's where a 2021 Hyundai Elantra driven by a 29-year-old woman had come to a full stop on the tracks, facing west, when it was struck by a southbound Amtrak passenger train that carried 11 passengers and three crew members.
The woman in the vehicle was transported to Erie County Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
“These incidents, they really shouldn't happen. They're unfortunate,” Tylec said. “We're going to do everything we can, council included, to come up with ideas, to see what the investigation holds, and ultimately then take action.”
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