Train collides with truck in Hudčice: derailment, injuries and closed track.

Location and time

The accident occurred on Monday shortly after 1:30 PM at the level crossing in the village of Hudčice near Březnice in the Příbram district; firefighters received the report of the incident at 13:40. According to the Railway Administration, a collision occurred on the section between Bělčice and Březnice, after which a train derailed.

Course of the accident and the response

According to the police, a truck entered the crossing — it was a concrete mixer — directly in front of a two-car motor unit, and a collision occurred. Firefighters on scene stabilized the derailed unit, evacuated passengers, and extricated the truck driver using hydraulic equipment.

Injuries

Rescuers stated they cared for six patients: one seriously injured person was flown to the hospital in Plzeň, three with minor injuries were taken to the hospital in Příbram, and two were treated on site. Firefighters later added that they had handed a total of ten people, including the truck driver, over to the emergency medical service and dealt with the complication that some passengers left the scene.

Service and restrictions

The line was closed until approximately 17:00, and both local and express trains were delayed due to the incident. Substitute bus service was put in place between Březnice and Blatná, which Czech Railways reported.

Investigation

The police are examining the circumstances of the collision on suspicion that the truck driver did not obey the crossing signage, as stated by regional police spokesman Pavel Truxa. The Railway Administration confirmed the derailment and that the train driver suffered minor injuries, and that roughly twenty passengers were outside the train after the accident.

Deployment of emergency services

Three ambulance crews, an air ambulance, professional and volunteer firefighters, and a Railway Administration unit from Plzeň were on scene. A helicopter from the Police Aviation Service of the Czech Republic and a dog handler were also deployed to search for possible injured people who had left the scene.