Train hits pickup truck carrying watercraft on Cheswick railroad tracks

A pickup towing a Sea-Doo watercraft was struck by a Norfolk Southern freight train at a railroad crossing in Cheswick shortly after 11:30 a.m. Monday.

No one was injured, but trains were stalled for about three hours.

The truck and the watercraft were totaled.

The GMC pickup was parked unoccupied on the railroad tracks near the marina when it was struck by the train. The owner of the truck, whose name was not released, told Allegheny Valley Regional police he didn’t think the rails were in use. He apparently was taking the watercraft to a nearby repair shop.

“There were no major issues, no fire and no explosion. It was driver error,” said Allegheny Valley Regional police Sgt. Craig Cummings. “The trains are there. If you’re going to park your truck on the tracks or you’re going to try and cross the railroad tracks and you can’t get across it, that’s not the train’s fault.”

The train, consisting mainly of tanker cars carrying petroleum, was stalled on the tracks as of early Monday afternoon not far from the police station. Trains heading in that direction were backed up until Norfolk Southern officials could inspect the train and the rail for damage, according to Cummings.

“They have to make sure that the train is safe and that nothing happened to the rail,” he said.

The incident remains under investigation.

At 2:30 p.m., the trains were back in operation.

Cummings said drivers should never assume railroad tracks are not in use.

“Just because somebody thinks that the rails aren’t being used doesn’t mean they’re not being used,” he said. “People have to make sure that the tracks are clear and that they have the capability of crossing them.”