VIDEO: Freight train tore apart a truck stuck on the tracks at a problematic railroad crossing in New York

In a near-tragedy, a freight train crashed into a truck stranded on railroad tracks in New York City, and a little quick wit in the moments before impact may have saved the driver’s life.

The 18-wheeler didn’t stand a chance as it hit the tracks crossing New Main Street near Highway 9W in Haverstraw on Thursday morning. A CSX freight train was speeding down the line shortly before 9:30 a.m. when a witness saw the truck unable to move.

“A passer-by who saw that he was stuck on the tracks came up and stopped one of our sergeants who was driving down the road with another part, said he was stuck on the tracks,” said Haverstraw police captain John Gould.

The officer was speeding down Route 9W and heard the sound of a train behind him. He managed just in time to pull the driver out of the cab of the truck.

“The driver was in the cab of the truck talking on the phone, trying to get help to come and help him derail, but he couldn’t hear anything,” Gould said.

Seconds later, the locomotive rushed forward, cutting the trailer in half before the driver could stop it on the tracks. Fortunately, neither the driver nor the crew of the train were injured.

A load of hundreds (if not thousands) of titanium pipes heading for the power plant became a mess of pickup trucks that needed to be picked up and removed from the scene.

There is a history of accidents at a particular railroad crossing in Rockland County, but why? The nearest sign speaks for itself: due to the steep slope of the street leading to the rails, the ground clearance is low.

A few years ago, a car transporter got stuck on the same tracks. The truck in this situation was also damaged by a freight train, but again, no one was killed in the accident and the driver of the truck was unharmed.

A review of federal railroad records revealed 10 crossing incidents dating back to 1979, two of which were fatal.

The train involved in Thursday’s incident was eventually able to leave by noon. The trains following them showed that the tracks themselves did not suffer significant damage.