Freight train rips septic truck apart in Chesapeake, Virginia, United States.
NEWS:
A freight train struck a septic truck at a railroad crossing in Chesapeake, Virginia, on May 14, 2026, with the impact separating the truck’s tank assembly from its cab and throwing the wreckage off the roadway.
The collision happened at about 4 p.m. in the 2900 block of Yadkin Road. Video recorded from near the tracks shows the septic truck moving across the crossing as the freight train approaches. The locomotive hits the truck from the side with enough force to tear the large tank section away from the front of the vehicle. The cab and tank are then thrown into the roadside area, while the tank’s contents spill across the scene.
Chesapeake Police Department officers responding to the crash found the truck overturned. The male driver was taken to a local hospital with injuries initially described by police as life-threatening. Police did not identify him in their public statement.
The driver’s condition improved after the collision. He was reported in stable condition the following day. On May 20, Chesapeake police said he remained hospitalized but was expected to recover.
Police said their preliminary findings indicated that the truck driver failed to stop at a posted stop sign before entering the railroad crossing. That finding came from investigators and should be distinguished from what can be established from the crash footage itself. The video directly records the truck entering the crossing and the train striking it, but it does not establish every action taken by the driver before the vehicle came into view.
Azuriah O’Daniel, the man who recorded the collision, said he had been watching and filming trains when the crash occurred. He said the train horn sounded as the septic truck approached the tracks. After recording the impact, O’Daniel said he got out and checked on the truck driver.
The freight train was operated by Norfolk Southern. The railroad reported that no one aboard the train was injured.
Emergency crews also dealt with a minor fuel-related hazardous materials situation at the crash site. Chesapeake police said there was no immediate danger to the public. Separate from the fuel issue, footage of the collision shows material spilling from the septic tank after the violent impact.
The truck is visibly destroyed in the recording. The collision separates the tank section from the front of the vehicle and sends the major components into the roadside area beside the tracks. The footage also shows the train continuing forward immediately after impact while debris and the truck’s contents scatter around the crash site.
The railroad crossing had a posted stop sign. Police continued to describe the failure to stop as a preliminary investigative finding rather than a final determination. Publicly available updates through May 20 did not announce charges against the driver.
The most significant later development concerned his medical condition. What began as a life-threatening injury report on the afternoon of the crash had progressed by May 20 to police saying the hospitalized driver was expected to recover.
News story written by DarkGore.
