Train derailment in Sacramento injures 27 people, according to preliminary reports

A train derailed late Thursday in Sacramento, injuring 27 people and prompting a major response from emergency crews.

At 9:43 p.m., the Sacramento Fire Department received a call about a motor vehicle accident. Once crews arrived, they discovered it was actually a light-rail passenger train incident and determined it a mass casualty event, prompting several ambulances and firefighters to rush to the scene at Roseville Road and Marconi Avenue.

Capt. Keith Wade of the Sacramento Fire Department said 27 patients were injured, including 13 people who were taken to two trauma hospitals. The remaining patients were treated on the scene and released, he said.

More than 40 firefighters responded, and 15 ambulances were on scene transporting the injured.

Wade said it was the first time in his 19 years with the department that he responded to a train accident with such a high number of injuries.

“The good thing here that we’re very happy [about] is that no one lost their life and that no one was in any critical condition,” he said.

As of 10:45 p.m., no details had been released regarding what caused the train to derail or whether there was any type of collision.

One passenger told the CBS affiliate in Sacramento that as the train derailed, he flipped over the top of his bike and saw a fellow passenger hit a bench and split his leg open.