Amtrak engineer from Utah seriously hurt in Colorado train crash

Jonathon Sharp
·1 min read

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A train engineer from Utah was seriously hurt Monday night when a truck slammed into an Amtrak train at a Colorado rail crossing.

The engineer, a 42-year-old from Park City, was airlifted to Intermountain Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette, Colorado, with life-threatening injuries, the Colorado State Patrol said.

Doctor charged with sexually abusing, inappropriately touching several workers at Utah clinic

Three of the 69 passengers on the Amtrak California Zephyr train were also hospitalized, but their injuries were minor, KDVR reported.

The crash happened just after 10:30 p.m. in Keenesburg, roughly 40 miles northeast of Denver. A truck carrying 10,000 gallons of milk blew through a stop sign and slammed into the train, which was bound for Chicago.

A California Zephyr Amtrak train derailed after colliding with a milk truck on the tracks, representatives of Amtrak and the Colorado State Patrol confirmed.
A California Zephyr Amtrak train derailed after colliding with a milk truck on the tracks, representatives of Amtrak and the Colorado State Patrol confirmed. (credit: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

The collision knocked the train off its tracks and toppled the locomotive, The Associated Press reported.

While the crash is still under investigation, the truck driver, a 31-year-old man from Fort Wainright, Alaska, is believed to be at fault, authorities said. Neither the truck driver nor his passenger were hurt.

Amtrak service was shut down along the route, with all trains heading toward Chicago being stopped in Denver on Tuesday, KDVR reported. It’s unclear when Amtrak service will resume along the route.

The tracks where the crash happened are owned by BNSF Railway, which will be responsible for the cleanup.

The Associated Press has contributed to this story.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.