Train carrying members of Congress hits truck, killing driver House leadership said the planned GOP retreat would continue, with lawmakers expecting shuttles to Greenbrier in West Virginia.

An Amtrak train taking U.S. lawmakers and their staff to a Republican retreat in West Virginia struck a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia, on Wednesday morning, killing the driver of the truck, according to multiple sources. No serious injuries were reported on the train, although some passengers were hurt.

The White House confirmed that there had been one fatality and one serious injury, with multiple GOP sources telling a local TV station that the truck driver had died and that other occupants of the truck were hurt.


The UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville said a total of six patients were transported there from the crash, with one patient in critical condition, one discharged and four that are still “being evaluated.”

Rep. Jeff Denham of California, chairman of the House Transportation rail subcommittee, said only six people sustained minor injuries aboard the train, including two engineers.

Staffers for Rep. Jason Lewis (R-Minn.) announced that the lawmaker had been discharged from the medical center and made his way to the Republican retreat, “where he is recovering from a concussion.” Lewis said in a statement he was “thankful for the prompt action of our doctors and first responders.”

It was unclear whether Lewis was the first or second person to be discharged by UVA.

Rep. Pete Sessions, one of the lawmakers on the train, estimated during a phone call with Fox News that roughly 200 people were aboard and that 15 to 20 were receiving some form of medical attention.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said President Donald Trump had been “fully briefed” on the crash and had spoken to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) about the accident. Addressing reporters at the White House, Trump called the accident “a tremendous jolt.” Trump added that he would be going to the GOP retreat on Thursday as planned.

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Republican officials said the planned GOP retreat would continue, with lawmakers expecting shuttles to Greenbrier in West Virginia.

“After consultation with leadership in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, the retreat will proceed with an adjusted program,” said Jessica Towhey, spokeswoman for the Congressional Institute. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by today’s incident.”

Emergency personnel and security officials, as well as members of Congress who are physicians, were aiding injured passengers. Rep. Roger Marshall's office said the Kansas Republican, an obstetrician and gynecologist, was among those treating people.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced that it was sending a team to the scene to investigate.

Amtrak officials confirmed that a couple of crew members had sustained minor injuries.

"An Amtrak train came into contact with a truck that was on the tracks at 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Va.," Kimberly Woods of Amtrak Media Relations said in a statement. "Two Amtrak crew members and two passengers were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Local law enforcement is investigating the incident. The train originated in Washington, D.C. Updates will be provided as new information becomes available."

GOP lawmakers and staffers took to social media to update constituents on their status. Officials said there was no collision warning.

“Today’s incident was a terrible tragedy,” Ryan tweeted. “We are grateful for the first responders who rushed to the scene and we pray for the victims and their families. May they all be in our thoughts right now.”

“We’re fine, but our train hit a garbage truck. Members with medical training are assisting the drivers of the truck,” Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said on Twitter.

“It was a big surprise,” he said. “There was no braking. It was immediate impact, and an immediate derailment right after that.”

Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) said: “There was such a huge force that the momentum kept people going and some now have scrapes and bruises. Reps. Larry Buschon and Roger Marshall [are] attending to people on the train."

Walker said one of the truck drivers was thrown from the truck and was lying on the ground. “It doesn’t look good.” he said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been affected by this incident,” the White House said in a statement.

Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: “Getting regular updates on the Amtrak crash involving members of Congress and their families. Praying for all involved & grateful for the swift action of first responders. @POTUS and I will continue to monitor closely. I’m heading to WV later today.”

Amtrak has had a string of high-profile, deadly crashes in the past few years, including one in December in which a speeding train derailed and toppled over a highway overpass in Washington state, killing three and injuring dozens of others. In 2014, another speeding Amtrak train derailed in Philadelphia, killing eight and injuring nearly 200 others. However, in both cases the engineer at the controls appeared to have been at least partially at fault because of distraction at a critical point of the trip, not because of something affecting the track.

Rachael Bade, Burgess Everett and Lauren Gardner contributed to this report.

