Trains collide near Bonners Ferry

BONNERS FERRY — A railroad crewman suffered minor injuries after two trains collided on a Union Pacific track shortly before noon today near Mirror Lake Road in Boundary County.

The two trains collided head-on about a half-mile west of Bonners Ferry at an estimated 17 miles per hour, said Andrew O'Neel, Boundary County public information officer.

One train carried grain and the other was pulling empty log cars. Both trains remained fully on the tracks and no cargo or fuel was spilled, O’Neel said.

Mirror Lake Road will continue to be blocked by the trains on the tracks until Union Pacific is done with its investigation.

North Bench Fire was dispatched to the scene along with mutual aid from Boundary Ambulance, South Boundary Fire, Paradise Valley Fire, and Boundary County Emergency Management.