CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange Park man suffered serious injuries after an Amtrak train struck his SUV Tuesday night in Clay County, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
The FHP crash report states that at 10:15 p.m., the 72-year-old man was traveling southbound on the railroad tracks just south of Allen Lane. The Amtrak train which had nine railcars, was traveling northbound towards the railroad crossing at Allen Lane, the report states.
The Amtrak train was en route to New York from Miami, as Amtrak's website says the crash caused a two-hour delay. All passengers aboard the train were uninjured.
Troopers say for "unknown reasons," the man's SUV came to a complete stop on the railroad track "straddling the East rail causing the right side of the SUV to be at rest between the rails, blocking the train's path of travel."
The front right side of the train then struck the SUV's front right side, the report states. The SUV rotated clockwise, as its front left side struck the right side of one of the train's railcars, according to FHP. The SUV then was "forced" and "pushed" off the railroad track in a northeasterly direction, troopers say.
FHP says the SUV came to final rest facing a southerly direction on the gravel beside the railroad track, while the train came to final rest parked on the railroad track.
The train is back on schedule, Amtrak says, as it left the scene of the crash around 1 a.m. Wednesday; it is expected to arrive in New York Wednesday evening.