Video shows 'crazy' train crash into septic truck in Virginia
Mike SniderA Norfolk Southern freight train crashed into a septic truck at a railroad crossing in Chesapeake, Virginia, sending the truck careening, destroying its tank and splattering green liquid throughout the accident scene.
The Chesapeake Police Department said the accident happened about 4 p.m. May 14 in the 2900 block of Yadkin Road within the southeast Virginia city, which is near Virginia Beach. At the scene, police found an overturned truck and an adult male who was transported to a local hospital with life‑threatening injuries, the department said in a Facebook post.
The truck driver was taken to a hospital with severe injuries, CBS News reported. Police said the driver was listed in stable condition on Friday, according to WAVY-TV Channel 10, a Portsmouth, Virginia NBC affiliate. No one among the train crew was injured, WAVY-TV reported.
"Preliminary findings indicate that the truck failed to stop at a posted stop sign prior to the collision," according to the Chesapeake Police Department, which is continuing its investigation.
The accident created a "minor fuel‑related hazmat situation," but there was "no immediate danger to the public," according to the department's Facebook post.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Chesapeake Police Department and Norfolk Southern for comment on the incident.
Eyewitness Azuriah O’Daniel, who shared his video of the accident with news outlets, told WAVY-TV the collision “busted the septic tank on (the truck) … The impact was crazy."
O'Daniel said he heard the train's horn, but it couldn't stop in time as the truck was already on the tracks. The intersection has no railroad crossing gates.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call the 888-LOCK-U-UP or to submit a tip online at P3TIPS.COM, or using the P3TIPS app.
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & [email protected].