Missouri Train Crash Collapses Highway Bridge, Seven Injured
By Richard N. Shapiro, Railroad Accident Attorney
Seven people were injured when two freight trains collided in Rockview, Missouri. A highway overpass collapsed when some of the derailed cars slammed into the concrete pillars of the bridge.
According to news reports, a Union Pacific train, carrying primarily automobiles and auto parts, hit the side of a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train at a rail intersection. The BNSF train was carrying scrap metal. The derailed cars then hit columns supporting the Highway M overpass, which caused it to buckle and partially collapse.
Only two vehicles were on the overpass at the time, which typically has between 400 to 500 travelers per day. Two 40-foot sections of the overpass buckled, sending the cars onto the edges of the collapsed sections. A diesel fire also broke out in one of the locomotives after the collision, but was quickly extinguished. Five people in the vehicles were taken to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, along with a Union Pacific train conductor and an engineer.
Dozens of cars were derailed from the crash, causing the highway to be shut down for eight miles from Scott City to Chaffee. The overpass itself was only 15 years old and had been given a rating of “good” during an inspection in February. The Missouri Transportation Dept. estimates it will cost $3 million to replace the bridge.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting an investigation into the cause of the collision.
This train crash comes within weeks of two other serious incidents our railroad injury law firm has reported on. In Rosedale, M.D., a massive explosion occurred when a freight train derailed and caught on fire. And in Connecticut, 72 people were injured when an Amtrak passenger train derailed.
Our Virginia railroad injury lawyers have represented many victims who have suffered severe injuries from railroad accidents, including one client we were able to secure a record-setting $60 million award for. If you have been injured in a railroad incident, answers to FAQ’s can be found here.

