HOUSTON — Emergency crews responded to a train derailment along the Eastex Freeway in the Splendora area Monday morning, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
The East Montgomery County Fire Department reports a man driving an 18-wheeler involved in the crash with the train died.
This happened around 7:30 a.m. along the tracks at Midline Road. The Texas Department of Transportation said the Eastex Freeway is back open heading north in the area after being closed for a few hours.
Splendora Police Department said the train was heading south when the big rig crossed the tracks and was hit. The 18-wheeler was dragged half a mile down the tracks.
Police said there are no guard arms or lights at this crossing where the crash took place, but that the driver of the truck should have had a clear line of sight to see the train coming.
Views from Air 11 show several cars off of the tracks near the crash. The Splendora Police Department said about 15 cars derailed in the crash.
Hazmat crews are on the scene but there are no leaks from the cars. They are cleaning up some of the spilled diesel fuel from the truck.
Police said it could in a total of 15 hours to clear the scene.
You'll want to avoid this trouble if your commute takes you into this area. Firefighters said the scene is expected to be active for several hours.
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