1 Dead in Collision Involving Train to GOP Congress Retreat

One person is dead and a member of Congress was taken to the hospital after an Amtrak train carrying some Republican members of Congress and their families to a party retreat in West Virginia was involved in a collision Wednesday, authorities said.No member of Congress or their staff was seriously hurt, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. But one person is dead and another was seriously hurt, Sanders said, offering the White House’s thoughts and prayers for those affected. Petition Seeks to Expand Food Stamp Benefits for Pet Food The fatality and critical injury involved people in the truck, according to Jessica Twohey, a spokeswoman for the Congressional Institute, which sponsors major conferences for members of Congress. One member of Congress was sent to the hospital while another member and a congressional staffer were being examined.Minnesota Rep. Jason Lewis was taken to an area hospital for a reported concussion, a source connected to senior leadership told NBC News, but it’s not considered a serious injury.  Hawaii Worker Who Sent False Alert Had Problems But Kept Job House Speaker Paul Ryan was not hurt, sources told NBC News. But a lawyer for his team was taken to a hospital with a suspected concussion, according to a source.Many Republican members of Congress tweeted or called into cable news channels to say they weren’t hurt. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., was on the train with his wife when “there was a sudden impact, a loud noise and everyone was jolted,” he said on MSNBC. Ex-‘Glee’ Actor Mark Salling Dead at 35 in Possible Suicide “My wife who was in front of me, her cellphone went flying,” he continued. “It was just uncomfortable for a few minutes and as we started realizing that everyone was okay I think people started feeling a little better.”Curbelo said there were some minor injuries but “most people are OK here.”Images from the scene showed damage to the Amtrak train and a warped, overturned truck surrounded by what appears to be garbage. NBC News reported that the train hit a garbage truck.A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was not on the train. President Donald Trump, who was meeting with his national security team, was made aware of the incident and is receiving regular updates, Sanders said.Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said on CNN he helped secure a very badly injured person onto a stretcher and saw another person who was dead.”They worked on him for quite a while but they could not revive him,” Flake said.Flake was also at the center of another deadly incident involving a group of Republicans, the shooting at a congressional baseball practice last year.Flake said shortly after the June 14 shooting that he ran to put pressure on the bullet wound that Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., received. Scalise survived the shooting but the gunman was killed by U.S. Capitol Police. Scalise was not on Wednesday’s Amtrak train. An Amtrak representative said the train collided with a truck on the tracks in Crozet, Virginia, at 11:20 a.m. ET. The incident is under investigation by local law enforcement, according to the Amtrak statement.The United States Capitol Police is at the scene and working with other law enforcement agencies, according to a representative.NBC News had reported that a person who was standing at the time of the train collision, which took place near Charlottesville, Virginia, was taken off the train to be treated. Amtrak had said there were no injuries, but in an update said two members of its crew and two passengers received minor injuries. A person died in a separate crash related to a congressional retreat to West Virginia last year. The driver of an SUV was killed in a chain-reaction crash on Jan. 25, 2017, as police blocked traffic in Maryland to clear the way for a motorcade of buses.Congressional Democratic leaders tweeted their support after Wednesday’s crash.”Awful to hear of my Republican colleagues’ train accident. We’re praying for the safety of everyone on the train and in the truck,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.”Praying that all are well both on the train and off,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said.Photo Credit: WVIR This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Source: NBC San Diego