Authorities are investigating the safety mechanisms in place at the East Point railroad crossing where a freight train collided with a MARTA bus Wednesday afternoon, injuring six people.
CSX spokeswoman Kristin Seay said the train hit the bus around 4 p.m. at a railroad crossing at Welcome All Road and Southmeadow Parkway West. A portion of the bus, which was en route to Ben Hill Road, was still on the tracks when the train arrived at the crossing.
The bus was hit once, spun around and was hit again, Channel 2 Actions News reported.
Five bus passengers and the driver were injured in the collision, MARTA spokeswoman Alisa Jackson said. All were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
One passenger had a severe head injury, Jackson said, but was alert and conscious Wednesday night at Atlanta Medical Center. East Point fire spokeswoman Renita Shelton told Channel 2 that the other injuries were minor.
The train was en route from North Baltimore, Ohio, to Jacksonville, Fla., Seay said. There were no injuries to the crew.
The events leading up to the collision were unclear Wednesday night. Seay said that “a review of safety mechanisms at the crossing is part of the ongoing investigation.”
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