(Berrien County, MI) - Authorities are shedding light on why an Amtrak train derailed last week outside New Buffalo.

 

According to the Berrien County Public Safety Communication Center, a technology issue involving the computer-assisted dispatch system appears to have contributed to the accident based on preliminary findings of an ongoing investigation.

 

The technical glitch left the dispatch center unable to pinpoint the correct crossing location after a car that Thursday night was located by police on the tracks on Lakeside Road. A tow truck was attempting to remove the vehicle from the rails when an Amtrak train was fast approaching. 

 

Normally, all approaching train traffic is alerted to stop until vehicles are removed from the rails. In this case, however, it appears the operators of the train were not informed to stop before the collision with the tow truck and the car it was attempting to remove from the tracks.

 

There was an explosion and fire from the vehicles following impact while the train itself derailed, but remained upright.

 

About a dozen passengers on the train suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Two men from the towing business and the car's owner just a short distance away from the point of impact were uninjured.

 

Authorities noted that the technical issue that led to the incident has since been resolved.