Atwater man drives around crossing arms, gets struck by train, police say

An Atwater man walked away from a crash Wednesday morning after the SUV he was driving was struck by a train.

Atwater Police Sgt. Dave Sarginson said officers were called to the scene at 9:43 a.m.

Investigators said a 52-year-old Atwater man was traveling south on North Buhach Road when his SUV was struck by a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway train near the intersection of Santa Fe Drive and North Buhach Road in Atwater.

Police said the driver of the vehicle mistakenly believed the crossing arms had been activated by a train that was stopped on the eastbound tracks. The driver decided to go around the crossing arms after seeing another vehicle in front of him drive through, Sarginson told the Sun-Star.

While crossing the railroad tracks, another train traveling west collided with the rear of his vehicle, causing the vehicle to spin out and crash against a trailer in a nearby mobile home park.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway police were called to the scene and will also be investigating the crash, said Sarginson.

According to Sarginson, the driver of the SUV appears to be shaken up from the crash and initially declined medical treatment, but Riggs Ambulance Service was called back to the scene after the driver began complaining of pain.

“When the arms are down don’t take that chance, even if you don’t see the train coming,” said Sarginson. “We’re very lucky that he is uninjured and he’ll be going home to his child.”

This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 12:35 PM.