Joni Ernst, David Young, Steve King all OK after train crash involving GOP congressional members

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and U.S. Reps. David Young and Steve King were among those on a train carrying Republican lawmakers to a congressional retreat in West Virginia that collided with what appeared to be a garbage truck on Wednesday.

None of the three was injured in the incident.

There is one confirmed fatality and one serious injury from the crash, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, but no serious injuries among members of Congress or their staff.

Reached by phone while he was still on the train, King said he saw no serious injuries among passengers on the train, although one of the passengers in the truck that was struck has died.

"I can report that I'm OK," King said. "I don't want to draw any presumption about what's going on here, but as near as I can determine there were a few members and families that suffered a bump here and there, but there's really no serious injuries on this train that have been reported to me."

Young spokesman Cole Staudt confirmed that Young was "okay" after the accident, while Ernst tweeted that she was on the train but uninjured.

Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and U.S. Rep. Rod Blum were not on the train, aides told the Register on Wednesday morning.

Later on Wednesday, Young provided a detailed first-hand account of the incident. He was sitting in the second-to-last car on the train when he felt a "hard jolt" that shifted people on their feet but did not knock anyone over on the train. That was followed by "strong and steady braking" until the train came to a stop.

"I could see debris and garbage everywhere outside," Young wrote in an email sent through his congressional office. "I thought it was a local dump at first and then I saw a cab of a truck with both doors open near the tracks with faint steam or smoke coming from the engine and two bodies strewn out on the ground no more than 10 feet from the truck. They were still."

Young went on: "There was one man standing looking over them and pacing. He looked confused, concerned and helpless. We all collectively in the train car knew what had just happened."

Young and others called for the House physician to aid the injured and resolved to stay on the train to avoid crowding the scene.

"The train car I was in became quiet," Young wrote. "Some were peering out the window. Some were whispering into phones or texting or emailing. Some were still praying. I heard some crying."

More: Train carrying Republican lawmakers collides with garbage truck; injuries appear limited

According to Amtrak, the train collided with a vehicle on the tracks in Crozet, Va., a town about 126 miles away from Washington, D.C. The U.S. Capitol Police, state and local authorities were investigating the scene, while the Amtrak crew was checking the train for damage.

The Trump administration was in contact with Amtrak and state and local authorities, Sanders said.

The USA TODAY contributed to this report.