Wind power met the power of a locomotive this weekend, as a truck hauling a wind turbine blade was struck by a train in Luling, Texas. The extra-long cargo was being escorted through town when it became hung up on a railroad crossing while attempting to negotiate the turn. No injuries have been reported.
A video posted to Facebook by user Caleb Brandon shows the accident from a gas station on the southern side of the crossing, with the trailer and turbine visible at the time of impact. Luling Police told San Antonio’s KSAT that apart from the truck and turbine, three parked cars, a commercial building and a utility pole were damaged; the train’s two leading locomotives were also damaged.
The accident took place at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 and U.S. 183 (E. Pierce Street and N. Magnolia Avenue). The truck was attempting to turn right on U.S. 183 when it appears to have become snagged on the crossing signal. The truck was more than halfway across the tracks when the gates came down.
At that point, the driver desperately tries to clear the crossing before the train arrives, ripping the still-snagged crossing signal even further from its anchors before the impact, which shreds the trailer and turbine and overturns the cab of the semi. The driver was not seriously hurt.
Locals on Twitter have pointed out that trucks typically use a different exit off of U.S. 90 in order to pass straight through this intersection, rather than having to make the wide right turn across the tracks. It appears the driver and/or escorts of the truck in question were either unfamiliar with the territory or given bad directions.