What Would You Do If Rear-Ended Onto Train Tracks Like This Jeep Driver?

A frightening accident occurred in Layton, Utah, last week, involving a Jeep Cherokee and a FrontRunner train. Fortunately, there were no injuries, as the driver of the SUV managed to escape the vehicle before the collision.

The incident occurred on February 4 and was captured on a security camera. The footage reveals a series of unfortunate events: the Jeep Cherokee was rear-ended by a Ram truck as it attempted to stop at a train crossing. As a result, the SUV ended up stranded on the tracks, with the crossing gate arms closing behind it.

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Instead of driving forward to safety, the driver of the Jeep opted to reverse, hitting the gate arms twice in the process. The low speed prevented any serious damage to the arms, but it wasn’t enough to free the vehicle. Realizing the situation was quickly escalating, the driver made the split-second decision to abandon the SUV and flee to a safe distance.

Seconds later, the train collided with the front end of the Jeep, demolishing the crossing post and taking down the safety arms in the process. A camera on the train showed that the operator had engaged the emergency brake and sounded the horn in an attempt to stop, but it was clear that stopping the massive FrontRunner train in time was impossible.

According to the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), the crash caused over $100,000 in damage to the train alone, not counting the damage to the Jeep SUV or the destroyed crossing post.

Gavin Gustafson, senior public information officer for Utah Transit Authority, spoke to KSL TV about the incident: “In the heat of the moment, the panic of the moment, they jumped out of the car and, and then the train hit the car. All things considered, everybody’s quite fortunate to have escaped without any injuries.”

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Reflecting on the driver’s decision to not move forward, Gustafson offered some understanding: “I’m certainly not going to second-guess them in the heat of the moment. And sometimes, the view might be blocked, or you don’t want to pull forward if another train is coming.”

Gustafson advised drivers to pay close attention when approaching train crossings, prompting them to break the safety arms if they find themselves stranded on the tracks: “Use your eyes and ears, all of your senses, be paying attention to the arms and the flashing lights, red lights, and ringing bells. Go ahead and break the gate arms, they’re far less important than you or your car. It’s a whole lot better than what ended up happening.”