Bystanders, firefighters rescue driver seconds before train hits truck
By AJ Sisson
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RICHLAND, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — Two firefighters and a bystander rescued a driver from a construction truck moments before it was struck by a freight train in Lebanon County, according to the Neptune Fire Company.
The incident happened shortly after 12:30 a.m. Saturday in Richland Borough.
The fire company said the construction truck collided with another vehicle, struck a railroad gate and protective barrier, and then rolled onto the tracks, where it stopped.
It happened as the railroad gates began lowering as a train approached.
Just 16 seconds before the train arrived, firefighters Kevin Kepley and Daulton Faust, along with bystander Rory Righter, immediately rushed to help and pulled the driver from the truck, according to the company.
“Due to the actions of our firemen and the bystander who all just happened to be at the right place at the right time, the single occupant of the vehicle escaped uninjured,” the Neptune Fire Department wrote in a social media post. “We are certain that if these people did not step in to render aid, the outcome would have been much worse.”
Authorities said the driver is okay.
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