A Utah Transit Authority bus was demolished by a Union Pacific freight train in a fiery crash Wednesday about 9:40 a.m. after the bus stalled on a rail crossing at 4800 South and 2700 West.
The bus driver had enough time before the collision to get away from the bus, which carried no passengers. No one on the train crew was injured, but the train's four engines and seven of the train's 27 freight cars derailed.A fuel tank on one of the engines caught fire but was extinguished before the flames spread to the freight cars, several of which were transporting hazardous materials, said Union Pacific spokesman John Bromley.
The bus had pulled onto the crossing after waiting for another train to pass.
When the bus stalled, the driver notified the railroad.
Bromley said the notice came too late to stop the train. He said environmental precautions in dealing with spilled fuel and the hazardous cargo, and major damage to two sets of tracks, would complicate the cleanup.