KEYTESVILLE - A semi-truck and a train collided about 4:00 p.m. Friday in Keytesville, sending two people to the hospital and scattering rail cars along a quarter-mile stretch of track.
Chariton County Sheriff Chris Hughes said the crash occured when a semi-trailer carrying construction equipment got stuck on a rail crossing.
Residents saw the stuck trailer, but couldn't free it just before the crash.
"It was something I'll never forget," said Hughes. "We were just aproximately 30 yards on the south side of the tracks, and I saw a gentleman trying to pull the trailer off of the tracks and then it was here."
The crash shook nearby houses and derailed two locomotives. The two engineers walked away with moderate injuries and were taken to Moberly Regional Hospital.
Hughes said the actions of the people involved saved lives.
"They did everything they could do," he said. "The guy who was driving the semi did everything he could do. He was trying to get off. There were people who were already trying to contact the railroad."
Railroad officials were at the scene late Friday to assess the damage.
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