3 dead in North Tonawanda following train-vehicle crash

The impact “bent the car in half,” Reid told the Buffalo News Saturday morning.

The train’s momentum carried it almost to the next red light at Ward and River roads, Reid and North Tonawanda firefighters said.

Capt. Daryl Truty of the North Tonawanda Police Department said early Saturday afternoon that a 69-year-old man, a 66-year-old woman and a 6-year-old boy were killed in the crash. The deceased have not been identified by name and the investigation is ongoing, Truty said. An Amtrak spokesperson confirmed that Amtrak train 281 was involved in the accident, adding that none of the 21 passengers were injured. Amtrak is involved in the investigation, the spokesperson said.

Reid, a Kenmore resident, and Francisco Dejesus, a 27-year-old man also from Erie County, described their first-hand accounts of the events leading up to the crash on the railroad tracks just steps from River Road. They explained that several vehicles during a previous police traffic stop on the east side of the Felton Street railroad tracks ultimately blocked the van from passing. Before the truck could turn around, it became stuck between the rail barriers, they independently said.

“I think it could have been handled differently,” Dejesus said of the law enforcement response. “They should never have stopped so dangerously close to the train tracks.”

Dejesus’ Jeep had broken down around 7 p.m. and he parked in an empty lot, away from the railroad tracks, on the south side of Felton Street. He called his brother to come pick him up. When his brother arrived a half hour later, he was stopped by police because he didn’t have a license plate or insurance, Dejesus said.

For 25 minutes, Dejesus said a towing company arrived to remove his brother’s vehicle – and traffic continued in one lane of Felton Street – but a law enforcement vehicle was parked very close railway tracks. As the “ding, ding, ding” of the train warning sounded, Dejesus said an officer moved his vehicle away from the tracks.

From River Road, Reid said he saw the driver of a blue pickup truck turn right from River onto Felton, attempting to get around law enforcement vehicles and the tow truck. The pickup driver was unable to get around them and ended up on the railroad tracks, she said.

“Very suddenly,” in less than 20 seconds, the railroad tracks’ red lights flashed and the railroad gates closed, trapping the vehicle on the tracks, Reid said. The approaching train honked its horn continuously.

Reid remembers shaking as the events unfolded.

She blocked traffic on River Road to prevent any vehicles from hindering the van’s escape, she said. She noticed the van’s window was open, she said, so she screamed, “Oh my God, move, move, get out of the way.” »

The driver of the pickup truck backed up, but not with enough force to break the railroad barriers, she said.

“It happened in a split second,” Dejesus said.

According to the Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition (NITTEC), River Road, between Ward Road and Wheatfield Street, was closed to traffic until approximately 3:30 a.m. Saturday.

Friday’s incident was the second fatal crash involving a train and vehicle near River Road this year. On Jan. 16, around 7 a.m., a 29-year-old Wheatfield woman in a Hyundai Elantra was struck by an Amtrak train at River and Whitmer roads in North Tonawanda and died hours later at ECMC. The river’s intersection with Witmer is less than a mile from the Felton Street crossing.

This is a developing story. Please check again for updates.