GREENSBORO, NC – On Wednesday morning, a fatal collision took place between a train and a forklift in Greensboro. An Amtrak passenger train was traveling north when it collided with a JGL telescoping boom lift that was being operated by Margarito Alfonso-Cruz, 51, of Greensboro, across a grade crossing on Hilltop Road.
The crossing lights and stop arms activated when the lift was around halfway across the tracks. As one of the stop arms fell on the lift, Alfonso-Cruz made an attempt to back up. However, the train then crashed into the lift, resulting in the untimely death of Alfonso-Cruz.
According to the Greensboro Police Department, the area between Fairfax Road and Roediger Court was closed until 1:30 p.m. as the police forensics team and traffic unit gathered evidence. They are working to determine the cause of the unfortunate incident.
Assistant Chief of the Support Bureau Stephanie Mardis detailed that representatives from Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration, and Norfolk Southern were also conducting their independent investigations on the scene.
Safety precautions were followed as the alarm bell designed to alert incoming trains was tested. Additionally, two stop arms, as well as the forklift, were all removed from the train tracks.