No one was injured when the A-train struck a pickup at the intersection of Shady Oaks Drive and Kerley Street on Wednesday night, but two men went to city jail.
Denton police said the driver turned north onto the Denton County Transportation Authority's A-train tracks from Shady Oaks at about 7 p.m.
The truck traveled only a short distance north of the street before becoming stuck on the tracks.
The northbound A-train struck the truck, knocking it off the tracks into a deep ditch.
The truck sustained heavy damage to the rear.
Officers conducted field sobriety tests on the driver and charged him with driving while intoxicated. Sgt. Paul Willenbrock said the passenger was taken to jail on a charge of public intoxication.
Officer Ryan Grelle, a police department spokesman, said none of the 12 passengers aboard the two-car A-train sustained injuries. Train times were delayed about 40 minutes while the tracks were cleared, but the train was able to continue its route to the downtown Denton station.
The names of the two men arrested were not immediately released.
DCTA spokeswoman Dee Leggett said officials will conduct an internal review of procedures and equipment. "To ensure everything was working properly and to determine what measures we can take to prevent future occurrences. At this time, we have all indications the our systems were functioning properly," she said. "The public needs to take precautions around the rail corridor, be aware of their surroundings and obey the warning devices at the crossings. DCTA will continue its efforts to educate the communities along the A-train corridor about rail safety."
In the six months since the inception of the A-train line from Denton to Carrollton, there have been several accidents, including a train-pedestrian accident in Carrollton that took the life of a Garland man. Wednesday's accident was the sixth since the train began running in June. DCTA has not been faulted in any of the accidents.
Staff Writer Bj Lewis contributed to this report.
DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com .
