Mass transit accidents can take a variety of forms. Several train accidents occurred throughout California recently resulting in commuter delays, personal injuries, and one death.
The first train accident occurred shortly after 6 a.m. Monday morning in Stockton. The San Joaquin County Coroner’s office says that a 23-year-old Stockton pedestrian was killed when he was hit by a train in downtown Stockton. The accident occurred on Oak Street near Fremont. It is unclear whether the train gates at the intersection were functioning at the time or whether the train blew its warning horns before hitting the pedestrian.
On Tuesday evening a train accident occurred in Santa Fe around 8 p.m. Authorities say that the train was en route to Bakersfield when it hit an SUV on the tracks.
“For reasons that are still under investigation right now, the driver went through the stop sign at the intersection, continued northbound through a dirt field where he collided with some safety barriers that are erected around a cellular telephone tower, glanced off of those and his vehicle became disabled on some Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks,” a CHP spokesman said. The driver claims that his SUV had a defect that caused it’s gas pedal to stick.
A third crash happened near Bakersfield at Santa Fe Way and Reina Road around 4 a.m. on Wednesday. That crash is being blamed on the driver’s failed attempt to beat the train. The driver suffered moderate personal injuries and it is unclear whether any of the train occupants were injured.
Source: Bakersfield Now, “Driver survives train plowing into car,” Oct. 17, 2012
