“It was a good thing that the train was not going full speed,” says Biloxi Fire Department Deputy Chief Jeff Merrill of this morning’s accident where a CSX train plowed into a Pepsi truck.
The call was dispatched around 9:50 a.m., after the driver of an Allen Beverages’ Pepsi delivery truck, traveling north on Main Street, got his tractor-trailer stuck on the railway tracks at the crossing.
“After unsuccessfully being able to remove the truck from the tracks, the driver exited the vehicle in plenty of time to go a little ways down the road and flag the train engineer,” Fire Captain Jim Davis said. “The train then pushed the truck about 70 or 80 feet before stopping.”
CSX representatives were also on the scene to inspect the train and tracks and allow the train to back up so that crews could safely remove the Pepsi truck from the tracks.
The accident took about three hours to clear and rail crossings from Main east to Oak Street were blocked by the 131 train cars.
See images of the collision
News and notes
Podcasting: Fire safety, swift water rescue and the latest on the water temperature at the Biloxi Natatorium were discussed this morning during this week’s installment of the City Desk Podcast. To listen, click here.
Street sweeper: Biloxi residents, did you know that the monthly street sweeping schedule is posted online? Well, it is. To find out when the street sweeper will be in your area, and to see the latest traffic advisories, click here.
