For those of you who have heard about this incident and have been wondering, the following is an official statement from the railroad:
"An automobile/train collision occurred on the New Hope Valley Railway shortly before 4:00PM on Sunday, June 7th at the Daisey St. grade crossing in Bonsal, NC. Steam Locomotive 17 was in charge of the train.
The Apex Fire Department responded within four minutes, followed by Apex EMS, the North Carolina Highway Patrol and the Wake County Sheriff’s Department.
No one was injured in the incident. All passengers detrained in an orderly manner and were interviewed by Apex EMS and the North Carolina Highway Patrol. The driver of the car was also interviewed by Apex EMS and the North Carolina Highway Patrol. He was released on scene shortly after the incident.
The New Hope Valley Railway wishes to ask the railroad preservation and rail fan communities to respect the privacy of all involved in the incident. The New Hope Valley Railway has no knowledge of and will not speculate on the driver of the car or his condition other than what has been released in this statement and what has already been reported in the media. The North Carolina Highway Patrol’s investigation is currently ongoing.
Damage to railroad property was minimal.
The New Hope Valley Railway maintains a strong relationship with law enforcement and first responders in the community. The railway hosted an emergency training ‘mass casualty’ drill in cooperation with local first responders and law enforcement in the fall of 2008. The drill not only prepared our railroad volunteers for how to react to an emergency situation but also familiarized first responders with our excursion train so they may better react to incidents such as this one."
