President Donald Trump commented after an Amtrak train collided with a garbage truck in Virginia on Wednesday morning, saying that the incident was “very sad.”
“The train accident was a tough one, a tremendous jolt,” Trump said, explaining that the train hit the truck crossing the tracks while traveling to West Virginia.
Many Republican members of Congress were on the train, traveling to their winter retreat in West Virginia. A few of them were taken to the hospital for attention to whiplash and head injuries, but none of the members were seriously injured.
“We don’t have a full understanding of what happened,” Trump said. He confirmed that the driver of the truck was killed in the crash.
“It’s very sad to see that,” he said.
Trump made his remarks during an event to promote his tax reform plan at the White House. He said that the GOP conference would continue and he still planned to attend the meeting on Thursday.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that the administration would continue to monitor the situation.
“Senior Administration officials are in regular contact with Amtrak and state and local authorities,” she told reporters in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been affected by this incident.”