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Utah freight train crash causes corn spill on interstate, minor injuries

by Reuters
Wednesday, 8 January 2014 22:54 GMT

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Two freight trains collided in Utah on Wednesday, spilling corn onto an interstate highway and injuring three railroad workers, authorities and railroad officials said.

The trains, both carrying feed corn, were near the mouth of Weber Canyon about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City when one rear-ended the other, which was stationary, said Utah Highway Patrol Lieutenant Chris Simmons.

The force of the crash caused several cars from the moving train to tumble more than 20 feet down an embankment, spilling corn and a small amount of diesel fuel, Simmons said.

The three injured were a conductor, an engineer and a trainee with the railroad who were in a locomotive from the moving train that derailed but did not tumble down the hill, Simmons said.

All three complained of leg pain, and two were transported to a nearby hospital for minor injuries while one was treated and released at the scene, Union Pacific Railroad spokesman Aaron Hunt said.

"We're really fortunate that none of our folks were seriously hurt and that the incident didn't cause more of a big holdup to traffic," Hunt said.

The crash caused authorities to close one of nearby Interstate 84's two lanes, Simmons said. The closure was likely to continue overnight as crews using cranes worked to move the derailed train cars, he added.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, Hunt said. (Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Andrew Hay)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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