Train carrying GOP members of Congress collides with truck, leaving one person dead

An Amtrak train carrying Republican lawmakers to a retreat in West Virginia collided with a truck in Virginia on Wednesday morning.
There was one confirmed death, and one person in critical condition, the White House said.
The White House said there were no serious injuries among the lawmakers or their families or staffs.

An Amtrak train carrying Republican lawmakers to a retreat in West Virginia collided with a truck near Crozet, Virginia, on Wednesday morning.

There was one confirmed death, and one person is in critical condition, the White House said.

Amtrak said two crew members and two passengers were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. The University of Virginia Health System tweeted that five people were being transported to the UVA Medical Center and that one person was in critical condition.

The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said there were no serious injuries among members of Congress or their families or staffs. She said President Donald Trump had been briefed and was receiving frequent updates, and that he had spoken with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was on the train, about the incident.

Some GOP members aboard the chartered train tweeted updates on the situation.

Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa tweeted that one person had been critically injured and another was seriously injured. He said two people on the train were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

"Security and doctors on board are helping secure the scene and treat injuries," Rep. Bradley Byrne of Alabama said.

"On the train and okay," Sen. Steve Daines of Montana said. "Prayers for the drivers of the truck."

Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona told The Washington Post that there were three passengers in the truck and that he helped carry one injured passenger to an ambulance on the scene. Flake said his wife and 18-year-old son were also on the train with him but were OK.

The GOP caucus was en route to a two-day stay at Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. The crash occurred about 110 miles southwest of Washington and 90 miles east of White Sulphur Springs.

Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Cabinet members are expected to join the congressional Republicans for a series of meetings concerning immigration, infrastructure, and foreign policy, and the coming midterm elections. Organizers of the retreat told The Post that the crash would not affect programming.

"After consultation with leadership in the US House and US Senate, the retreat will proceed with an adjusted program," the Congressional Institute said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by today's incident."

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Train carrying GOP members of Congress collides with truck, leaving one person dead

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