As the engineer of the Piedmont & Northern job approached the crossing at the Waste Management of Greater Charlotte facility and saw a garbage truck enter the crossing ahead of the train, all he could do was blow the horn and pray. Unfortunately, on that July 18th afternoon, the train made contact with the truck, ripping the cab from the frame. Trapped inside was the driver, Thomas Collins Jr, a well known and loved local pastor and father of four. Unfortunately, the collision resulted in the cab of the truck erupting in a massive fireball, in which Collins perished. The force of the collision also resulted in the trailing locomotive ending up on the ground, although it managed to stay upright. Eventually, the mangled wreck of the truck was hauled away, and the cars were cleared of the crossing. Fortunately, the crew walked away physically unharmed. After speaking with an acquaintance who is good friends with the crew, the engineer (and likely the conductor) are extremely distraught over what happened, and are emotionally shaken. This is an example of how making even the slightest mistake when operating large commercial vehicles can result in losing your life. Several families and a community are grieving the loss of a loved one, and a train crew is emotionally traumatized. For anyone reading this, PLEASE be careful around ALL railroad crossings and train tracks in general. Also, out of respect for the family, please avoid jumping to conclusions about how and why the truck ended up in the path of a train. The only person that can answer that question, unfortunately, is no longer with us. Please, for those of you who are religious, keep EVERYONE involved in your prayers.
