Speeding train filmed smashing into truck full of watermelons

A Florida teenager heading home with his dad captured dramatic video of a CSX train slamming into a truck whose trailer filled with watermelons got stuck on the tracks. Austin Broderick, 15, and his dad, Dean Broderick, 46, of Oxford said they were two miles from home last Wednesday night when they came upon the rig stalled at train tracks.



They got out of their car to see what was happening and realized the driver was already out of the truck, waiting on the other side of the road. Then the railroad-crossing arms came down. Anticipating what was about to happen, they jumped back in the car and Dean Broderick put the car in reverse to get away in case of an explosion. Austin pulled out his smartphone and began filming.

Seconds later, the 130-car freight train smashed into the truck. Austin said he had mixed emotions about witnessing the crash. "I was kind of worried about the driver, but I was kind of excited because I'd never seen something like this happen," he said. No one was injured in the crash, which occurred at 6:47pm, according a Florida Highway patrol report.


YouTube link.

The train conductor saw the trailer far enough in advance to declare an emergency through his dispatch, though he was unable to stop the train in time. Afterward, the Brodericks realized the trailer was full of watermelons. "It's like it was in slow-motion," the elder Broderick said. "You hear the train, then it's dead silence, and then wham! I've never seen anything like it. It was breathtaking."