A freight train hit a truck east of Morrilton on Friday afternoon, causing it to catch fire as the train pushed it approximately three-fourths of 1 mile farther down the track, the Morrilton fire chief said.
Chief Earle Eichenberger said the eastbound train hit the northbound 10-wheel truck at the Sardis Crossing on Roosevelt Road just south of U.S. Highway 64.
Jeff DeGraff, a spokesman for Union Pacific, said in an interview that the train crew was unharmed and the truck's two occupants were transported to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
The train hit the truck right behind its cab about 3:15 p.m., Eichenberger said. He described the vehicle as a 10-wheel truck that looked like a septic tanker. It appeared empty, he said.
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Multiple fire departments responded to the scene Friday afternoon to put out the truck’s fire and resulting spot fires nearby.
In an email, DeGraff said a tow truck arrived at the scene around 6 p.m. and crews were deciding how to remove part of the truck from underneath the train.
"It will be well into this evening before the area is cleared and train traffic can resume," DeGraff emailed.
DeGraff said the train would be inspected after the crews finished clearing the truck debris. The train, which is carrying grain, was passing through Arkansas on its way to the Port of New Orleans after leaving Gibbons, Neb., on Wednesday, DeGraff said.
DeGraff said Union Pacific doesn't expect the crash to delay other trains. "We should be able to absorb this time pretty easily," he said.
The railroad track runs parallel to U.S. 64. There’s some traffic in the area, Eichenberger said, but not “an extreme amount.” DeGraff said the crossing doesn't feature lights or gates to warn vehicles of an oncoming train.
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Sardis Train Crossing
