A train wreck occurred near Sophia, North Carolina along the railroad tracks on highway 311 in Randolph County. Authorities who were at the scene say that it was at the intersection of Wall Brothers Road and Hwy 311.
NC Highway Patrol reported that Gilbert York was attempting to cross a railroad crossing when his truck collided with a Norfolk Southern train traveling northwest. The truck was owned or leasee to Cranford Iron and Metal. The type of truck York was driving is called a ‘roll off dumpster’ style truck.The truck driver’s injuries were serious enough that he was airlifted to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
It is of interest to note that several train crashes have been reported in North Carolina’s triad over the last couple months. Recently, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in downtown Greensboro, a train-car crash in High Point, and an Amtrak train collided with a flatbed truck in Mebane, North Carolina.
Recently the Federal Railroad Administration made regulations final banning text and cell phone use by railroad personnel like engineers and conductors. Federal investigators found that text messages were the primary cause of a deadly rail crash in Chatsworth, Calif., in September 2008. The head-on commuter train crash involved a freight and commuter train and killed 25 people and prompted federal regulators to ban cell phone use by train crews. At this time the factors contributing to this NC crossing accident have not been released.