There were no injuries Wednesday morning when a train hit an 18-wheel tractor trailer that was stuck on the tracks at the Hawthorne Street railroad crossing near downtown Dalton. The driver of the truck was cited with failure to obey traffic control devices.
The crash happened just after 7 a.m. The driver of the tractor trailer, who is from Texas and was unfamiliar with Dalton’s roads, told police that he did not see a sign warning that large trucks are prohibited from traveling on Hawthorne Street due to the steep angle of the approach to the railroad tracks which makes it impossible to cross without getting stuck. The driver attempted to cross the tracks traveling west towards Hamilton Street and got his trailer stuck. The driver was able to get out of the truck and clear when an approaching train hit the truck, leaving the cab on the west side of the tracks and the trailer destroyed on the east side of the tracks.
The Dalton Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene.