Three people were injured last month when a tractor-trailer collided with an Amtrak passenger train as it was traveling from Austin to Dallas. The truck accident is the second collision between a train and a tractor-trailer in Texas and the 41st such accident in the United States this year.

While the Texas Eagle train was on the Austin - Dallas leg of its trip from San Antonio to Chicago, it suddenly came upon a tractor-trailer on the train tracks. The train's engineer blew its whistle, but the truck, an 18-wheeler that was transporting a car, was unable to get off the tracks in time. The train crashed into the truck, throwing the truck driver from the cab.

The truck driver, a 44-year-old man from San Antonio, was taken to a nearby hospital. He was initially said to be in critical condition, but his current status is not known.

Two of the 211 passengers on board the Amtrak train at the time of the crash also suffered minor injuries, but they refused treatment. In addition, the fumes from a minor diesel spill that occurred in the accident caused discomfort for passengers and the 14 Amtrak employees on board.

The passengers were evacuated and taken by bus to a nearby church. From there, Amtrak provided charter busses to transport them to Dallas, where a new train was waiting.

Local Texas police will reportedly handle the investigation into the accident, and the Federal Railroad Administration may also decide to launch an investigation into the crash.

Source: KXAN, "Amtrak train hits box truck in Hutto," Jacqueline Ingles and Kimberly Reeves, Dec. 18, 2011