National Transportation Safety Board investigators this week are examining why a truck-trailer slammed into an Amtrak train in rural Nevada on Friday, June 24, killing six, including the truck driver and five people on the train.
Investigators say the truck pulling hopper trailers skidded more than 300 feet before crashing through crossing gates and striking two double-deck cars of the Amtrak Zephyr train on Highway 95 about 70 miles east of Reno. The truck, owned by John Davis Trucking of Battle Ground, Nev., exploded upon impact. Two other Davis trucks following in a three-truck convoy were able to stop.
The Davis company was founded in the 1970s and hauls ore from local mines and sand and gravel, according to the company’s website. Its fleet includes 50 side dump trailers, a lowboy, 15 mixer trucks and two concrete pump trucks.
