Crime & Safety

Railroad Van Hit by Train

No injuries reported after company vehicle gets stuck on tracks.

No injuries were reported after a train hit a Norfolk Southern Railroad vehicle after it got stuck on the train tracks at 4:10 a.m. Friday.

Police said Richard Vallera, 67, of Stewartsville, was driving the Ford van alongside the tracks when it jumped a track and became stuck. An oncoming westbound Norfolk Southern train, operated by Sean Simon, 45, of Robbinsville, was unable to stop before hitting the van, pushing it into a railroad crossing arm and breaking it.

Vallera was not in the van when the train hit it.

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The accident closed both Valley and Roycefield roads for about 90 minutes as the accident investigation was underway. The roads were reopened about 6 a.m.

Hillsbroough Rescue Squad and the Somerset Medical Center Mobile Intensive Care Unit responded to the scene. 

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