Freight Train Collision in Alabama Injures 4

Two freight trains collided in rural Alabama, injuring four people on board.

The Tuscaloosa News reports that that the collision happened Thursday afternoon in Pickens County. The sheriff’s office told the newspaper that four people were seriously injured and were airlifted to a Birmingham hospital.

Pickens County Emergency Management Agency Director Ken Gibson said the trains involved in the collision are owned by Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway. They were not pulling any railroad cars at the time of the collision.

Gibson told the newspaper that there appeared to be a mistake in communication.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.