‘Boom! Blew up right there’: Train slams into semi in Grovetown

GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A stuck 18-wheeler was blown apart and dragged by a train that hit it on the tracks in Grovetown on Friday afternoon – but amazingly no one was injured.

The semi, a McLain food-service delivery truck, was trying to cross the railroad tracks when it got stuck on a hump.

Then the train came along just after 12:35 p.m.

Although the train wasn’t moving at a high speed, the front of the truck was torn apart.

“You could hear the train, see the train coming. I didn’t really think it was going to hit the truck, but that thing, you know, boom, blew up right there,” said one witness who was outside a nearby Walgreens.

The driver apparently got out of the truck after it became stuck, since police said no one was hurt, and the railroad described the truck as unoccupied.

But it could be a while before traffic is back to normal.

Police said drivers should avoid Katherine Street at Old Wrightsboro Road as much as possible.

“No injuries have been reported, however the cleanup is going to take a while,” Police Chief Jamey Kitchens said.

The train didn’t derail, and crews at the scene indicated it would be moved sometime after 3 p.m.

Kitchens said there are no hazardous materials issues and tow trucks were en route.

Traffic was being diverted.

WATCH: PASSENGER GETS VIDEO OF TRAIN SLAMMING INTO TRUCK

People familiar with the area said trucks get stuck there often. A yellow sign in front of the crossing says, “No trucks.”

A neighbor said trucks get stuck so often that the city should do something about it.

He blamed the “truck stands” that project from the bottom of the trailer, saying they get stuck on the hump at the crossing.

WATCH: HERE’S A VIEW OF TRAIN SLAMMING INTO TRUCK

Possibly knowing what might happen, several people recorded videos of the truck stuck on the track.

That’s what caught the attention of the witness at Walgreens.

“I was coming out of Walgreens. I had to come get me some milk this morning because, you know, my wife ain’t cooking breakfast. So I was getting some milk, come to my car and I seen the truck sitting on the track – because it was just sitting on the track,“ he said.

And then the crash happened.

Besides the truck being torn apart, much of its cargo was strewn beside the tracks.

Two workers from the Subway in Harlem showed up at the crash scene and said the truck was headed their way and apparently had their food inside.

WATCH: DOORBELL CAM CATCHES TRAIN SLAMMING INTO TRUCK

CSX confirmed no one was hurt on the train.

“The cause of the incident is currently under investigation,” the railroad told News 12.

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