3 dead after Amtrak train collides with pickup truck in western New York

By Nic F. Anderson, CNN

(CNN) — Three people died after an Amtrak train struck a pickup truck in western New York north of Buffalo, fire officials said Saturday.

All of the truck’s passengers were pronounced dead at the scene Friday night in North Tonawanda, the city’s fire chief told CNN in a phone call.

There were no reported injuries to the 21 passengers and crew members on the train, Amtrak said.

Amtrak train 281 was traveling north from New York to Niagara Falls when it hit the vehicle on the track, Amtrak said in a statement.

The three passengers were trapped in the truck when the North Tonawanda fire department arrived shortly before 8 p.m. ET and first responders from neighboring towns arrived to help, according to a news release from the department.

Railroad-highway grade crossing incidents are the second-leading cause of rail-related deaths in the United States and more than 200 deaths occur at grade crossings annually, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

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