TUNKHANNOCK -- Some said the railroad crossing near the intersection of Routes 6 and 29 in Tunkhannock was a train wreck waiting to happen, and that's exactly what happened Wednesday.
Traffic was snarled up at the intersection in Tunkhannock for hours after a truck and train collided. The startling sound shook up people working nearby.
"I was waiting on a customer and both of us looked over. We heard this big boom and the whistle blew and then all of a sudden that`s it, and then we heard all of the activity, all of the ambulances and fire trucks coming in," said Carol Grimes of Tunkhannock.
Tunkhannock police said around 9:30 a.m. a tractor-trailer carrying fencing supplies was stopped at the intersection of Route 6 and Route 29 in Wyoming County with part of his trailer still on the tracks.
Nearby road painting crews tried to warn the driver of the oncoming train, but it all happened too fast.
"The driver did try to move north, but wasn`t able to and the train did strike the back the trailer of the truck pushing it to where it is now," said Corporal Robert Roberts, of the Tunkhannock police.
The truck driver suffered minor injures and was taken to Tyler Memorial Hospital, while north and southbound traffic was backed up for hours.
Kenneth Frank of Tunkhannock said the crash was one that was just waiting to happen. He also said he's seen trucks stopped along the tracks all too often.
"It's confusing when you come up this road, with the lights the way they are, one light will be green and the other will be red. People get confused. They think the green light means you can go ahead but the red light means stop because the train is coming," said Frank.
"Because of the increasing traffic in this area, the problem does occur more," said Corporal Roberts.
Many people hope something is done to make the intersection safer, before something worse happens along these tracks.
"I see it all the time, and it`s just a matter of time something`s going to happen," said Frank.
We spoke with PennDOT officials, and they plan to look into the crash, seeing if anything should be done to make the intersection a safer one to travel.