September 7, 2024
The silver heap of metal between the two train cars is all that remains of a 2008 Honda Civic that was struck by trains headed in opposite directions after the vehicle became disabled on the railroad track. No one was injured in the Sunday evening incident, which remains under investigation. / Virginia State Police

FAUQUIER COUNTY – There were no injuries Sunday evening in a crash involving a vehicle and two trains in Bealeton after a Honda Civic got stuck on the tracks along a private section of Bealeton Road, Virginia State Police say.

Virginia State Police Sgt. Brent W. Coffey said the incident happened at 7:50 p.m. Sunday, March 3, on Bealeton Road near its intersection with Collins Lane. The collision blocked train crossings from Collins Lane to Lucky Hill Road as the scene was investigated, then cleared.

The 18-year-old driver (from Buckingham County) and three passengers in the 2008 Honda Civic escaped unharmed and before the two trains – which were approaching from opposite directions – hit the vehicle.

The driver and three passengers escaped from this 2008 Honda after it became disabled on railroad tracks. Shortly after, two trains from opposite directions struck the vehicle, destroying it.

One of those trains was a passenger train, the Amtrak “Crescent Train 19,” which was on its way from New York to New Orleans, according to Amtrak spokeswoman Beth Toll.

There were initial reports Sunday evening that there were some passenger injuries, but Toll said Monday afternoon that there were no passenger injuries aboard the train.

“There were no injuries to the 180 passengers or crew members on board the train. Amtrak police are cooperating with local law enforcement to investigate the incident,” Toll wrote in an email.

State Police Trooper J.R. Lewis responded to the incident; the crash remains under investigation.

About The Author