JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After Monday's bus crash with an Amtrak train in Riverside, the Jacksonville Transit Authority is considering route changes to make sure customers are as safe as possible.
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A JTA spokesperson tells Action News Jax the Amtrak train hit the right front side of the bus at the intersection of McDuff Avenue and Post Street in Riverside this morning.
We’re told the driver crossed the intersection at about 6:39 a.m., heading east, when the crossing arm came down and the signal started flashing.
Moments later, JTA says the Amtrak train hit the right front side of the bus, which had nine people onboard.
The bus driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
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A nearby worker heard the train coming, and the crash.
"That’s when I saw everybody," said Kelvin Frazier, who works nearby. "Just the rescue coming, the police officers coming, CSX coming.”
Action News Jax learned the driver was placed on unpaid leave until the investigation is complete.
Meanwhile, JTA says it’s reviewing all its rail crossings and considering possible route changes. This afternoon Action News Jax spotted a JTA supervisor watching traffic at the intersection.
“While JTA buses routinely make safe trips across railroad tracks, more than 1,200 times each week day, we are undertaking a complete review of how JTA buses approach and cross these intersections," said JTA spokesperson David Cawton. "We also are reevaluating this particular crossing, which presents a unique set of circumstances, not only for the JTA, but for other large vehicles.”
Cawton says the “unique circumstances” at this crossing are the result of the railroad sitting between two separate intersections, one of which is a five-way stop, and the other is a four-way. Fifteen JTA routes encounter railroad tracks.
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Action News Jax reporter Ryan Nelson reached out to Amtrak asking for a statement in the wake of the crash. The company issued the following response:
"An Amtrak train came into contact with a vehicle today at around 6:40 a.m. The incident happened about six miles south of the Jacksonville station," said Amtrak Spokeswoman, Kimberly Woods. “At the time of the incident, 466 customers were on the train. There are no reported injuries to customers or crew members on board the train. The train originated in Lorton, Virginia. The train resumed service at around 8:49 a.m. The train was heading to its final destination in Sanford, Florida."
We asked CSX if the crossing arms were working at the time of the crash.
CSX spokeswoman, Sheriee S. Bowman, says in a statement, “Initial reports indicate that all active warning devices at McDuff Ave. and Old Roosevelt Blvd. in Jacksonville were functioning properly. As standard protocol, following any grade crossing collision CSX signal maintainers will inspect signal systems to confirm they have not been damaged and are operating as designed.”