Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MURRAY — A tow truck driver was in very serious condition after his vehicle was hit by a TRAX train Monday.
The violent collision at 6100 South and 300 West knocked the bed off the truck onto the opposite train tracks, knocked a crossing signal out of the ground, took out part of a fence and derailed the front TRAX car.
"There was lots of debris and dust and everything going everywhere," said Dylan Brown, who lives nearby and watched the accident unfold.
Wanda Fisher was stopped in a vehicle waiting for the train to go by when the accident occurred about 9:15 a.m. Fisher said the pole that held the crossing signal just missed her windshield.
"I thought it was coming right at me," she said of one of the arms. "I had an angel with me. I had a pole coming right toward me."
I thought (the crossing arm) was coming right at me. I had an angel with me. I had a pole coming right toward me.
–Wanda Fisher, witness
Fisher said she ducked down in her seat, but the flying pole ended up hitting her bumper.
The collision split the truck in two and sent it flying south down the tracks about 25 yards. The cab rested on one side of the tracks, and the bed was lying on the other side.
Both witnesses and police say the truck driver drove around the barricade. The train, traveling between 45 mph and 55 mph, clipped the rear end of the truck, spinning it around.
The driver of the truck, Julio Mendoza, 40, survived with no broken bones, authorities said. He was knocked unconscious and into the passenger seat.
After being taken to the hospital, doctors put Mendoza into a medically induced coma. He is expected to survive.
No one on the train was injured. At that time of the day, with a train traveling from the University of Utah to the Daybreak community, Utah Transit Authority spokesman Gerry Carpenter said there were normally between 30 and 50 passengers on the train.
The accident happened after the crossing arms at the intersection remained down for a longer than normal time. What caused the crossing arms to be delayed was under investigation, but it may have been due to door problems a TRAX train was having at the nearby Fashion Place West station at 6400 South, Carpenter said.
Witnesses said several cars had already driven around the crossing arms before the tow-truck attempted it. Brown said he frequently sees drivers and even pedestrians go around the crossing arms.
"When the arms are down, do not go around the arms," Murray police detective Kenny Bass warned other drivers. "It's tragic when somebody gets hit like that."
Commuters eventually were taken off the train, and alternative transportation was found for them.
The accident closed all tracks in that area for a brief time Monday. Passengers were taken off of TRAX trains at 5100 South and 6400 South, then bused to the next TRAX.
The derailed train was removed, and all tracks were reopened by 2:55 p.m.
Email:preavy@ksl.com
