An Amtrak practice struck a public works car in Moorpark, Calif., on Wednesday, sending 16 folks to the hospital.

Ventura County Fire Department

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Ventura County Fire Department

An Amtrak practice struck a public works car in Moorpark, Calif., on Wednesday, sending 16 folks to the hospital.

Ventura County Fire Department

Sixteen folks have been hospitalized Wednesday after an Amtrak practice struck a public works truck and slid off the tracks within the metropolis of Moorpark, Calif.

The 10-car Amtrak Coast Starlight passenger practice was touring northbound, from Los Angeles in the direction of Seattle, when it struck the truck round 11:15 a.m. PT, officers stated.

The practice was carrying a complete of 186 passengers and 13 crew members, none whom required extrication to exit the practice, based on the Ventura County Fire Department’s Public Information Officer. The truck’s driver, a public works worker, was taken to a trauma heart.

Statements from a number of native businesses characterised the passenger accidents as largely minor, although some informed reporters it was a scary and painful incident.

“I thought we were goners,” passenger Theresa Darragh informed the Ventura County Star.

Kimberly Mathews, who was touring in the identical automotive as Darragh, described to the outlet how she’d been left with shoulder and again ache after hitting the steps in the course of the crash.

“It feels like somebody took a sledgehammer and just whacked me 50 times,” she stated.

The crash’s affect precipitated three of the practice’s seven passenger automobiles to derail, however they stayed upright. Smoke poured out from the practice’s baggage automotive, however the hearth was extinguished rapidly, the fireplace division stated.

Amtrak didn’t instantly return NPR’s request for extra info.

The impacted car, a Ventura County Public Works tanker truck, was atop a level-grade crossing as its staff have been cleansing out a channel close by, the The Star reported.

Ventura County Sherriff’s Capt. Dean Worthy described the positioning to the outlet as “a remote farm road.” The crossing has a cease signal, however no digital crossing arms, photographs present.

Traffic on Highway 118, which runs parallel to the tracks, slowed to a crawl on Wednesday as drivers stopped to soak up the scene of passengers, emergency responders and passengers, native information studies confirmed.