Police car hit by train after police stop

A Greensboro, N.C., police officer escaped life-threatening injuries when his patrol car was rear-ended by an Amtrak train shortly after he abandoned his patrol car at a railroad crossing. However, there doesn’t appear to be any mechanical failure that forced the Ford Explorer Cruiser to stay on track.

Local media understands that the unidentified officer was responding to a two-car collision on Peak Road and for some reason thought it would be a good idea to block the road by parallel parking directly along the train tracks. It’s unclear why the officer stopped his car on the tracks, but it turned out to be a very poor decision.

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Video taken at the scene shows the officer fleeing the patrol car about 10 seconds before the Explorer was struck. The Amtrak train, which was carrying 58 passengers, struck the rear of the Ford, crushing it and completely destroying the SUV. No one on the train was injured in the accident.

The Greensboro Police Department told WFMY News 2 that the officer involved remains on active duty, adding that the incident is being investigated and an internal administrative investigation is underway. The passenger in the initial crash that the officer was dealing with was taken to the hospital but did not suffer serious injuries.

While accidents involving police cars and trains are rare, accidents at railroad crossings across the United States are all too common. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration, more than 2,000 accidents occur at railroad grade crossings each year, resulting in 200 deaths. Level crossings are allowed along the track when the train is traveling at 110 mph (177 km/h) or less, but not when the train is traveling at more than 125 mph (201 km/h). Set up level crossings.