Days after a truck stopped on the tracks and derailed a train, part of La. 182 is still closed.
The Iberia Parish Sheriff says La. 182 at La. 88 and at La. 674 will remain closed until Saturday, August 26. To keep up with the closures, check the IPSO Facebook page here.
The highway was closed starting Monday afternoon, when a tractor-trailer rig stuck on the tracks next to the highway was struck by a train. The collision derailed the train.
The driver of the truck, which is owned by Sparkhawk Trucking of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, was issued a ticket because he had an oversized load permit and was off the required route. State Police explain that the oversized load permit the driver had required him to stay on a certain route. The place where he got stuck on the tracks was not on that route, so he was given a ticket for that.
The company that owns the train, BNSF, said their train hit the rig at about 5 p.m. on Monday as the truck tried to cross the tracks at Airport Boulevard. A video of the crash that KATC obtained from a viewer shows the truck stopped on the tracks, with the crossing arm resting on the top of it, as the train hit it.
BNSF said that about 20 rail cars and two locomotives carrying freight were derailed in the crash, but no injuries were reported.
"The railroad crossing is equipped with gates, lights and bells. The cause of the incident is under investigation," the statement reads.
