Amtrak services in the New Haven area were suspended all afternoon and evening on July 22 due to a fatal truck accident. According to police, the truck drove through a fence, tore down power lines and finally crashed into two railroad tracks.

The accident occurred at around 4 p.m., near the intersection of Middletown Avenue and Ferry St. The driver of the truck has not been identified, but authorities say the individual was killed instantly.

The local police chief explained why the accident caused such a delay for Amtrak. According to him, the truck was heading west on Middletown Avenue when it hit a curb and became airborne over a bank. As it was falling, the truck hit a metal girder that was holding up several electrical wires. The truck finally hit an I-beam, and was split into several pieces.

The damage to the electrical wires made it not only unsafe to attempt to retrieve the driver from the vehicle, but also to continue running any train services. By 5:30 p.m., cleanup crews were still waiting for the power to be shut off so that the victim could be excavated. No report was given as to the time when the live wires were no longer dangerous.

Amtrak was forced to release a statement apologizing for the delays. Full services on their routes from New York to Boston would not fully be restored until well into the day on July 23. Services from Springfield, Mass., to New Haven also experienced some delays, but those were resolved after a short period of time.

Source: New Haven Independent "1 Dies In Crash; RR Tracks Blocked" Melissa Bailey, July 22, 2011