A truck driver has been charged under the Traffic Safety Act after the vehicle was hit by a train on Highway 14 in Viking, Alta., Thursday.
An RCMP spokesperson told Global News the truck was crossing the tracks and was clipped by the train.
Witnesses told RCMP the crossing arms were down at the time.
Garry Swainson was selling Taber corn nearby when he heard the train whistle.
“I was on the east side of my truck talking to my wife and I heard the train blow its whistle and they never blow through here, they’re always quiet.
“So I looked a little harder and the semi shot around the front of the train, contact, and I watched it slide down the tracks until it stopped.
“He was moving. He travelled through. I don’t know if the arms were up or down.”
Initially, Swainson thought the collision might have had tragic results.
“But I realized the cab of the truck was ahead of the engine of the train and the train hit the trailer and then it just skidded everything down. The train was on the brakes real hard and it slowed down quite fast and stopped. Big relief when the ambulance came and left without hauling the guy away.”
Later Thursday, the train was stopped, blocking the highway.
The wreckage of the truck’s trailer was also visible.
Viking is located roughly 130 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
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