In light of the devastating tragedy that struck in the Nevada desert in late June, Californians are hardly ready for another train incident possibly claiming the lives of more victims. In an incident with eerily similar facts, a man was pulled to safety before being struck by an Amtrak passenger training hauling nearly 200 passengers. Again, driver negligence is implicated in this incident as well as the tragic loss in Nevada last month.
It is never safe to ignore railroad crossing warnings or attempt to beat the train across the track. Many drivers are injured or killed after impatience gets the best of them and they try and cross the tracks before the train arrives. Not to mention the significant risk of injury or death posed as against the train conductor, his crew and the passengers and cargo aboard the train. Always practice prudent safety when approaching railroad across and obey all traffic signals- they are there for your safety!
On Tuesday afternoon, a driver in a Cadillac was pulled from his vehicle moments before an Amtrak train bore down on his vehicle, totally demolishing it beyond recognition. The driver of the Cadillac allegedly ran a red light in Fullerton and was subsequently struck by an SUV in an intersection. From there, the Cadillac was catapulted off the roadway, through two chain link fences, across a dirt parking lot and finally coming to a rest on a set of train tracks.
Fullerton police captain Alex Basteri questioned the driver’s inability to stop before coming upon the train tracks and stated he “[did] not know” why the driver did not attempt to stop his vehicle sooner.
As fate would have it, two Fullerton city workers happened to notice the Cadillac positioned broadside across the tracks. The workers joined forces with a number of other volunteers to help pull the driver from the vehicle before it collided with the approaching Amtrak train.
The workers didn’t think twice about racing to the driver’s aid. One worker commented that by they time they reached the Cadillac, the driver was conscious but severely injured in his legs.
Just over two minutes later, the car was completely demolished by an oncoming passenger train.
The driver, a man in his upper 70’s, was not seriously injured and the train tracks were closed for a brief amount of time. The Cadillac was completely destroyed.
