Significant injuries when train strikes car in rural Merced County

An Amtrak train struck a car so hard in Le Grand Wednesday that it injured two people and dislodged the car’s engine, according to BNSF and California Highway Patrol officials.

The car was struck about 4:15 p.m. at a private property road crossing with the BNSF railroad along South Santa Fe Avenue, southeast of Le Grand.

Two people in the car had non-life threatening injuries, said Lena Kent, a spokeswoman for BNSF. California Highway Patrol said railroad police would be handling the investigation, because the crossing is on private property.

The passengers were taken from the scene by helicopter to local hospitals.

No one on the train reported injuries, Kent said.

“It was a little bit of a bump ... heard a distant crash sound,” said 31-year-old Alameda resident James Johnston, who was riding with his wife in the fourth car of the train. “Your brain knew something was wrong.”

Johnston said the train was traveling from Bakersfield to Oakland. He said he was tracking the train via GPS on his laptop at the time of the crash.

The roadway next to the tracks was blocked for about an hour Wednesday as BNSF Police investigated the crash and the crushed car that laid on the south side of the railroad.

A trail of engine oil from the car led to the car’s engine, which was knocked onto the northbound lane of South Santa Fe Avenue.

Shortly after the crash, Johnston said he looked out the window and saw the engine rolling on the road.

“It looked like a garbage bag,” he said. “I thought that was weird. It doesn’t make sense.”

Johnston said the train made a smooth but quick stop right after the crash. The train was stopped about 2,800 feet from the crossing.

After it stopped, Johnston said train officials issued an announcement stating that “we’ve been involved with a trespasser on the track,” he said.

Several minutes and updates later, train officials told passengers that two people were injured.

The train started back up at about 5:35 p.m., Johnston said.

The private crossing does not have arms, but does have stop signs.

“The train always has the right of way,” Kent said. “If you approach a stop sign, look both ways before crossing.”

This story was originally published July 5, 2017 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Significant injuries when train strikes car in rural Merced County."