NTSB investigating Nevada truck-train crash

National Transportation Safety Board investigators are examining why a truck-trailer slammed into an Amtrak train in rural Nevada June 24, killing six including the truck driver and five people on the train.

The truck pulling hopper trailers reportedly skidded more than 300 feet before crashing through crossing gates and striking two double-deck cars of the Amtrak Zephyr train on Highway 95 about 70 miles east of Reno. The truck, owned by John Davis Trucking of Battle Ground, Nev., exploded upon impact, news media reported. Two other Davis trucks following in a three-truck convoy were able to stop, media reported.

The Davis company was found in the 1970s and hauls ore from local mines and sand and gravel, according to the company’s website. Its fleet includes 50 side dump trailers, a lowboy, 15 mixer trucks and two concrete pump trucks.

New media reports say the company has been cited by the Nevada Department of Public Safety for two crashes and several safety violations in recent years.