River Line Rail Train Strikes Vehicle In Burlington County
RIVERTON, NJ (CBS) -- River Line service was temporarily suspended after a train struck a vehicle in Riverton, New Jersey.
Chopper 3 was over the scene in Burlington County late Thursday morning.
Service was suspended between Palmyra and Cinnaminson and later was restored.
#RiverLINE service running on or close to schedule following an earlier accident between a car and light rail vehicle in Riverton.
— NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) May 5, 2016
Two passengers on the train, a 31-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, were treated and released from Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County.
The driver and passenger in the vehicle were elderly, according to witnesses, and a spokeswoman confirms they were being treated at Cooper University Hospital.
As the gates come down, and the horn signals a warning, cars should roll to a stop. On Thursday morning, former Riverton Mayor Bill Brown saw and heard what happens when a car doesn't.
"I was coming out of my house. I live about a block away and heard the metal crushing," Brown described.
Witnesses say the train collided with the Mercedes Benz and dragged it a few feet, trapping the elderly driver inside. "He seemed disoriented," Brown said. "He kept moving his head around. I was trying to calm him down and make sure he wouldn't go into shock or anything like that."
"He's lucky to be alive. They had to cut the top of his car off with the 'jaws of life,' and pull him out" said Tracy Brown. He was riding in the first train car and said that the driver tried to beat the train before it passed.
"The guy was so impatient. He just tried to dart across the track," Brown claimed.
New Jersey Transit officials are investigating, but say they will not be releasing video from the train at this time. So far, no charged have been filed against the driver of the car.
Anita Oh contributed to this report.
