Operator injured in light rail crash (updated)
A Maryland Transit Administration operator was seriously injured this morning as a light rail train collided with a tractor-trailer near Hunt Valley, disrupting service on the northern end of the line.
MTA spokeswoman Jawauna Greene said the light rail train was heading south through a winding stretch in an industrial area when it collided with the truck at the crossing at Gilroy Road. Greene said a third vehicle, a Honda, also became involved in the crash.
According to Greene, there were seven passengers and three fare inspectors aboard the train. She said some of them were transported to Greater Baltimore Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries, while the operator was taken to Maryland Shock-Trauma Center with serious injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. She said the MTA is withholding the operator's identity until her family can be notified.
The drivers of the tractor-trailer and Honda were unharmed, she said.
Greene said the lead car of the train is believed to be a total loss. She said trains on the line would be turned around at Timonium and that the MTA had set up a bus bridge between there and Hunt Valley. She said service is not expected to return to normal until late in the day.
(UPDATE: MTA spokeswoman Angela White said that as of 3 p.m. the MTA still had heavy equipment at the scene working to pull the truck from the tracks. She said the bus bridge will remain in operation until further notice.)
The crash is under investigation by the MTA police, the Baltimore County police and the agency's safety office, Greene said. She said it was too early to say what had led to the collision.
"We're just really thankful that the operator is alive and OK," she said.
