Amtrak train derails in California after colliding with county water truck

MOORPARK, Calif. — At least 16 people were injured on Wednesday when an Amtrak train derailed after a collision with a county water vehicle, authorities said.

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The truck driver was critically injured when the vehicle collided with the Amtrak Coast Starlight train, the Ventura County Star reported. The other people injured suffered minor injuries, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Three of the train’s seven cars went off the tracks after the collision at about 11:30 a.m. PDT in Moorpark, KTLA-TV reported.

According to Ventura County Fire Engineer Andy VanSciver, the train was carrying 186 passengers and 13 crew members when it hit the truck, the television station reported.

Olivia Irvin, senior public relations manager for Amtrak, said that based on ticket scans, the train was carrying 198 passengers, the Star reported.

Mindy Faver, a passenger, told the newspaper she was seated facing the rear of the train after a trip with her mother.

“All of a sudden: Smack!” Faver said as she recalled the impact of the crash. “It could have been a lot worse.”

“You could feel the train shaking,” Cesar Aguilar, a passenger who was headed to Salem, Oregon, told the Times. “We were shaking quite a bit. ... A lot of smoke came into the cabin.”

The train had left Los Angeles and was heading to Seattle when “it struck a water truck obstructing the track,” Amtrak said in a statement.

“Amtrak is working with customers to make alternate travel arrangements. Amtrak, in coordination with local authorities, is conducting a full investigation,” the statement said.