In rural Montana, it was all-hands-on-deck after derailment

Singh Maan, center, poses for a photo with his sons CJ Maan, left, and Ricky Maan, right, Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, in the grocery store they own in Chester, Mont., near the scene where an Amtrak train derailed Saturday, killing three people and injuring others. When the crash happened, the family rushed to the scene with first-aid and food supplies taken right from the shelves of their store. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Singh Maan, center, poses for a photo with his sons CJ Maan, left, and Ricky Maan, right, Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, in the grocery store they own in Chester, Mont., near the scene where an Amtrak train derailed Saturday, killing three people and injuring others. When the crash happened, the family rushed to the scene with first-aid and food supplies taken right from the shelves of their store. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

By AMY BETH HANSON / Associated Press September 28, 2021 5 min read

CHESTER, Mont. (AP) – Trevor Fossen was running late for a wedding Saturday afternoon when he turned onto a dusty, gravel road in rural Montana as a westbound train approached the crossing in front of him.

The train never made it to the crossing. The next thing Fossen saw was a wall of dust fill the sky.

“I started looking at that, wondering what it was, and then I saw the train had tipped over and derailed,” said Fossen, a 29-year-old farmer.

It was an Amtrak Empire Builder en route from Chicago to Seattle that had derailed, killing three people and injuring dozens of others. Investigators still don’t know what caused the crash.

Fossen called 911, setting off a chain reaction of help from residents in the nearby towns of Joplin and Chester as people jumped into action to get people off the train, care for injured passengers and those who were stunned and had suffered bumps, bruises and other less serious injuries.