Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Witness: 'I thought the train blew up'
One member of the train crew was transported to the hospital, but there were no fatalities in the crash on Melrose's east side.
MELROSE — A train wreck Wednesday morning in Melrose injured one, derailed several cars, and led to diverted traffic the rest of the day.
The accident occurred just before 10 a.m. at the US 60/84 - NM 267 intersection, when a westbound BNSF train struck a semi-tractor attempting to cross the tracks.
Witnesses described hearing a loud noise and seeing a large plume of dust and smoke. People closer to the site said it looked like a fireball from an action movie.
“I was standing at the register and I looked up and I saw an explosion and I thought the train blew up," said Roxan Thomson, who was at work directly across the highway from the site, at the entrance to town. "It was a crazy fire and a lot of smoke. It was the craziest fire I've ever seen."
Railroad officials estimated after the crash that the site would be cleaned up within 24 hours. As of Wednesday afternoon, crews were still busy assessing damage.
“I have a count of 10 cars and 2 engines derailed,” said Joe Sloan, a BNSF public affairs officer. “There’s no timeframe yet for when they will be back...that depends on how much needs to be repaired.”
Sloan noted traffic was halted on both tracks while crew worked on repairs.
One of the overturned cars spilled part of its cargo, which included several cases of energy drinks.
“There are quite a few cars on the ground, and quite a bit of damage, but no fatalities," said Clovis Fire Department spokesman Dale Hand.
A press release from Curry County Sheriff Wesley Waller noted one of four employees aboard the BNSF train was transported Wednesday to Plains Regional Medical Center for minor injuries.
Waller identified the tractor driver as Federico Ortiz, 57, of Tucumcari, who was hauling an earth excavator in a vehicle for Pacheco Construction and Trucking.
Ortiz was not injured.
A Pacheco Construction representative declined comment on the event.
Waller said the train was traveling at approximately 70 miles per hour at the time. He did not respond to a request Wednesday for additional information on the cause of the collision.
Sloan said when the train crew saw the truck was either stalled or stuck on the crossing, it performed an emergency stop. However, any train would have needed at least a mile to come to a complete rest.
