LAFAYETTE PARISH — A man is recovering after a crash involving his car and an Amtrak train Monday afternoon, according to the Lafayette Police Department (LPD).
The crash occurred around 12:57 p.m. on the 2300 block of Southwest Evangeline Thruway at an uncontrolled train crossing, police said.The impact of the collision sent the car into a ditch.
Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari confirmed that the train was a passenger train traveling from Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans to Los Angeles. The train, carrying 77 passengers, had departed New Orleans around 9 a.m. before striking the car just after 1 p.m in Lafayette.
The driver in the car suffered from minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
All passengers on the train were reported safe.
David O’Brien, with Gerald’s Towing and Recovery, assisted in removing the vehicle from the scene. “It was pretty mangled, the motor was sitting on the ground,” O’Brien said.
LPD is asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the department or Lafayette Crime Stoppers at 232-TIPS.
