Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office Detective Paul Buswell had just finished work and was off-duty heading home on Highway 182 on Monday just after 5 p.m. when he noticed a driver of a tractor trailer stuck on the train tracks.

Buswell stopped and the driver said his tractor trailer was lodged on the track and he was trying to add air to his lift system to get free. Buswell called dispatch who then called BNSF Railway. Moments later, a train was coming through.

The crossing gates came down on top of the tractor trailer as Buswell helped the driver out of the semi to safety moments before the train crashed into the vehicle blocking the tracks.

The driver and Buswell were not injured and 11 cars wound up on their sides with 20 cars involved in total.

“It appears it was too late at that point for the train to stop,” Iberia Parish Sheriff Tommy Romero told the Daily Iberian. “We were lucky (Buswell) was able to get the driver out of the 18-wheeler and away from danger.”

BNSF Railway said the incident happened around 5 p.m. Monday when a train struck a semi-truck occupying the Airport Boulevard crossing in New Iberia.

The incident resulted in the derailment of 20 rail cars and two locomotives carrying mixed freight and “there were no injuries reported to the crew and the railroad crossing is equipped with gates, lights and bells,” according to BNSF.

The cause of the incident is under investigation. Louisiana 182 is closed in both directions from the Iberia Parish line to Darby Lane as BNSF personnel work with local law enforcement to clear the incident. Louisiana State Police said that emergency responders continue to clear the wreckage from the derailment. Louisiana 88 is being used as a detour for motorists.

In the two videos of the impact on the Daily Iberian YouTube channel, it shows the trains slowing down. The drone photos provided to the newspaper from the sheriff’s office show where the tracks bent and the train cars on their sides.

(Warning, videos contain strong language)

Romero said the Louisiana State Police, fire department and BNSF Railway worked together to get the scene secure and residents safe. He said each agency knew the role they had to play.

“We always want to make sure these things don’t happen. Working together helps us coordinate each other’s efforts,” Romero explained. “The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office does not have a hazardous material division, but the LSP does. And working with them in the past, I knew what our role had to be. They worked the haz material as well as the fire department.”

Drones went in the air the sheriff’s office started using about eight months ago and being proactive, deputies started clearing the area and evacuating residents. The area where traffic had to be diverted was at the city line and the City of New Iberia Police Department was able to help with traffic control, Romero said.

“I looked at the video footage as the point of impact. As the cars derailed in a cloud of smoke, you could not see the derailing, but the cars behind it slowed down at a good rate,” Romero said. “And what is very important in my opinion, the tanker cars slowed down at a good rate and when they did derail, they softly landed off the track. The third one was pretty much on the track, it seemed it made a softer landing and softer pace which really helped and is always a positive thing. We did not have the leakage, or we would have had to have an evacuation of a half mile from that point of impact.

“The drone technology we just received in the last six to eight months was able to go up in the air and capture the overhead views,” Romero continued. “They were able to access the area before we sent anyone into a possible dangerous zone. At that point, we knew there was not a leak.”

Another deputy said, “The fact that it was 5 o’clock traffic and no residents’ vehicles were affected was an act of God.” Romero agreed.

“It could have been so much worse,” Romero said. “With the leakage, none of that is good for the environment. However, my deputies started to evacuate because of the chance there was leakage.”

There is a command post set up and the sheriff meets with rail officials and other agencies twice a day for updated briefings. He said the command post was set up in half an hour. Deputies were on the scene within minutes along with state police.

“I personally would like to thank the residents and citizens of Iberia Parish for being patient with us. This type of response takes time to clean up. We have to treat those things with extreme caution. We appreciate the people and their patience,” Romero said.

He was also impressed with BNSF Railway.

“From the time it happened to the time BNSF had equipment on the scene was approximately four hours,” Romero said. “They had lights, cranes and pre-fabricated material to put in place.

“Watching them operate, they are true professionals and they cleaned that up as fast as I’ve ever seen, they were extremely prepared,” Romero continued. “It was a learning situation for us to watch how they responded.”

This is also a learning experience for anyone traveling around or over the tracks. Romero said there is a phone number on the rail crossing residents should know (800-832-5452) to report an emergency. The crossing number is on each sign.

(Staff writer Corey Vaughn contributed to this report)