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Passengers stranded for 9 hours after train hits truck

SEATTLE — Passengers were stuck on an Amtrak train for nine hours after it hit a truck in Oregon.

The train that was headed to Seattle from Los Angeles Monday finally arrived in Seattle Tuesday morning.

KIRO 7's Rob Munoz spoke to some of those passengers who were relieved to finally be at the King Street Station in downtown Seattle.

They said that after being stranded for at least nine hours with 280 passengers on board they could almost kiss the ground.

Photos obtained from a passenger show the mechanical damage done to the front of the Amtrak train that was headed north from Los Angeles to Vancouver, B.C.

Passengers said they were near Salem, Ore. when they felt a jolt and the train came to a complete stop.

It had hit a container truck crossing a railroad stop.

Because of mechanical issues caused by the crash, the train was stuck for hours.

“The conductor was running through the train so we thought, ‘OK it must be something serious,’ and then somebody said they hit the trailer of a truck,” said one passenger.

The 64 year-old driver of the container truck that was hit told police in Oregon he didn't see the train coming. He was cited for failing to obey a traffic control device.

Passengers said Amtrak gave them two free vouchers for putting up with the delay.

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