Bystanders, firefighters rescue driver before train hits truck in Lebanon County
RICHLAND, Pa. —
Firefighters and good Samaritans in Lebanon County helped a driver escape their truck moments before it was hit by a freight train.
The Neptune Fire Company in Richland said that just after 12:30 a.m. Saturday, neighbors and firefighters saw a construction truck crash into another vehicle.
That vehicle then hit the railroad gate, a protective barrier, then drifted onto the railroad tracks where it came to a stop.
The crash happened just before the gates lowered to signal an approaching train.
Just 16 seconds before the train arrived, bystanders removed the driver from the truck before it was hit by the train.
The Neptune Fire Company says fireman Kevin Kepley, fireman Daulton Faust and bystander Rory Righter immediately stepped in to help.
“Due to the actions of our firemen and the bystander who all just happened to be at the right place at the right time, the single occupant of the vehicle escaped uninjured,” the Neptune Fire Department wrote in a social media post. “We are certain that if these people did not step in to render aid, the outcome would have been much worse.”
Authorities say the driver is OK.