Fleischmann slightly injured in train wreck; Kustoff and Roe aboard but unharmed

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann was slightly injured Wednesday when a train carrying Republican congressmen to an event in West Virginia hit a garbage truck. Two other Tennessee Republican congressmen—Reps. David Kustoff and Phil Roe – were aboard but not injured in the mishap.

From Michael Collins’ report:

“I’m in a bit of shock right now,” Fleischmann said Wednesday morning in a phone interview from the scene, just minutes after an Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress to a retreat in West Virginia plowed into the truck.

“I’m in a whole lot of pain and discomfort,” Fleischmann said while being treated at the scene for his injuries.

One person died and another was seriously injured when the train collided at 11:20 a.m. with a garbage truck on the tracks in Crozet, Va., a town about 126 miles from Washington. The name of the deceased has not been released, but news reports identified him as a passenger in the truck.

No Congress members or their staffs were seriously injured, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said. Other passengers also were on the train.

… Roe, a retired physician who was traveling with his wife, Clarinda, helped treat the injured and tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the victim who died, his office said.

Fleischmann said he had gotten up from his seat to throw away some coffee and was heading to the restroom when the train hit the truck.

“I was standing up, and it just threw me back a long ways,” he said.

… Fleischmann’s son, James, 26, also was traveling with the group but was seated during the collision and was not injured.

The crash was the second time in less than a year that Fleischmann has found himself at the center of a tragedy involving congressional Republicans.

Last June, he was at the GOP congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Va., just outside of Washington, when a gunman opened fire. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., was gravely wounded and four other people were injured in the shooting.

Note: The Times Free Press carries the AP story on the accident, incorporating some information on the Tennessee riders HERE.