MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A train engineer driving when two CSX trains collided, causing a 32-train car derailment, last week told Marion County deputies he fell asleep on the job, according to the report.
The engineer, Chris Theriault, 48, told a Marion County sheriff's deputy he fell asleep while operating the train going north before the crash.
The trains collided at 4:15 a.m. Nov. 16 at a crossing on 175th Street and Northeat 23rd Street in Citra, just north of Ocala.
Two locomotive operators were on each train at the time of the crash; two operators were treated for injuries, the sheriff's office said.
One train was transporting non-hazardous phosphate rock and the other was loaded with coal.
A fuel tank was damaged during the crash, causing more than 7,400 gallons of fuel to spill from three locomotives, according to CSX.
In a statement the Federal Railroad Administration said they are currently investigating the cause of the CSX train collision in Citra.
CSX environmental experts assessed the damage that could be caused by any product releases.