3 People Dead, Including a 6-Year-Old Boy, After Amtrak Train Hits Pickup Truck in New York

Police said the boy, a man, 69, and a woman, 66, were pronounced dead at the scene in North Tonawanda

Three people, including a 6-year-old boy, have died after the truck they were in was struck by an Amtrak train in New York, officials confirmed.

On Friday, May 17, the passenger train heading northbound from New York City to Niagara Falls hit the truck in North Tonawanda, resulting in the deaths of a man, 69, a woman, 66, and a boy, 6, according to statements from the North Tonawanda Police Department and Amtrak.

The names of the victims, who were pronounced dead at the scene, have not yet been released, as the crash is still being investigated.

Police said the train hit the victims’ Dodge pickup truck at 7:56 p.m. local time in North Tonawanda, a city in Niagara County about 13 miles from the Canadian border.

Related: 6 People Dead, 10 Others Injured in Idaho Crash After Pickup Truck Going Wrong Way Hits Passenger Van

Amtrak told CBS News and CNN in a statement that the car was sitting on the tracks at the time of the crash.

"There have been no reported injuries to the 21 passengers or crew onboard. Amtrak is working with local law enforcement to investigate the incident," the spokesperson told CBS.

North Tonawanda Professional Firefighters Local 1333 wrote in a Facebook post that crew members from Platoon 4 responded to the crash site at the intersection of Felton Street and River Road, where they attempted to rescue three passengers in the car from the crash for around two hours.

The firefighters initially attempted to resuscitate the passengers, but later stopped after they were pronounced dead at the scene, North Tonawanda police captain Daryl Truty wrote in the statement.

"We would ask that you respect the privacy of the victim's families and the first responders who were at the scene," Truty added.

Related: Dad of Boy, 10, Who Was Swept into Storm Drain in Tennessee Says He Has Died: 'We Are Broken-Hearted'

According to Operation Lifesaver, a a non-profit organization that collects data from the Federal Railroad Administration about rail safety, vehicle-train collisions are one of the leading causes of rail-related deaths in the United States.

Just last year, more than 2,100 collisions resulted in 248 deaths and more than 750 injuries.

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Operation Lifesaver, which also provides information on how pedestrians and drivers can be safe around trains and railways, recommends that all drivers and pedestrians stay 15 feet back from train tracks, to only cross train tracks at designated crossings and to stay alert near tracks at all times.

"The average locomotive weighs about 400,000 pounds or 200 tons; it can weigh up to 6,000 tons," the organization wrote on its website. "This makes the weight ratio of a car to a train proportional to that of a soda can to a car."

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