Amtrak train strikes loaded dump truck and derails in Raleigh, NC, killing two

RALEIGH, N.C. – An Amtrak passenger train struck a dump truck and derailed Tuesday, killing two people, after the truck’s driver apparently drove around a lowered crossing gate, police said.Witnesses reported the gate and a light at the crossing were working before the truck, loaded with gravel, drove onto the tracks, said police spokesman Jim Sughrue.There were no serious injuries among the 180 passengers and crew on the train, he said.The collision, which happened around 12:35 p.m., knocked the train’s engine and four of its seven cars off the tracks though they remained upright, said fire department Assistant Chief Bryant Woodall.The upended dump truck came to rest nearby with its cab and rear axle separated from the cargo box.Killed were the truck’s driver, Chris McCullough, 34, of Garner, and passenger Keith Spence, 33, of Raleigh.Fourteen Amtrak passengers with minor injuries were taken to a hospital, Woodall said.Passengers said they felt the train lurch twice when it collided with the truck.”It felt like a movie,” said Calvin Boyd, 21, of Greensboro, who was traveling to Philadelphia.A small amount of diesel fuel spilled, Woodall said.The northbound train, the Carolinian, was coming from Charlotte and headed for New York.Vail, Colorado