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SALT LAKE CITY — Police have identified a passenger who died after the driver of a ride-share vehicle they were traveling in ran a red light and was "clipped" by a TRAX light-rail train Wednesday morning.
Jalen Neal, 28, died after a car, an Uber ride-share he was riding in, was traveling about 40 mph on West Temple when it ran a red light at the intersection and was struck by a blue line TRAX train traveling east on 700 South, police said.
"The car hit the side of the train," UTA spokesman James Larson said. "Community members ran out to see if the (passenger) was OK. They weren't breathing or responding, so they tried to do CPR on the (passenger) and they ended up passing away."
Larson said the driver of the car, also an adult male, was not injured in the crash. Nobody on the train was injured.
Salt Lake City police are joining UTA police in the investigation. The driver of the car is cooperating with investigators, police said on Wednesday. As of Friday, no charges had been filed or citations issued as a result of the crash, according to Salt Lake police.
An Uber spokesperson told KSL.com Wednesday that the driver has been removed from service.
"Our hearts are with the rider's loved ones during their time of mourning," the company said in a statement. "We have deactivated the driver, and we stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation."
The intersection was closed for several hours while police investigated the crash. TRAX service was also disrupted for quite some time. A bus bridge was installed between the Ballpark and Courthouse TRAX stations to connect riders going in either direction during the closure since all three TRAX routes use the section of rail where the crash happened; however, the bridge was lifted shortly before 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday's crash happened as UTA observes what it calls "Utah Rail Safety Week," a week dedicated to reminding Utahns to use caution around TRAX and FrontRunner tracks. UTA Executive Director Jay Fox pointed out that other vehicles can stop much more quickly than trains.
And although the TRAX train was not traveling fast, Petersen added that it is large enough to cause a lot of damage.
"When you get in an accident with a train, the train usually wins," he said. "Even a low-speed train can cause a lot of damage."
Contributing: Karah Brackin, KSL-TV
