AMTRAK, Train collission

Train slams into stalled RV in Berkeley, driver injured

Repost from SFGate
[Editor:  Imagine if it was an oil train headed for San Luis Obispo.  – RS]

Train slams into stalled RV in Berkeley, driver injured

By Jenna Lyons, March 3, 2016 9:14 pm
The driver of an RV was seriously injured in the aftermath of a collision with an Amtrak train in Berkeley Thursday evening, transportation officials said.
The driver of an RV was seriously injured in the aftermath of a collision with an Amtrak train in Berkeley Thursday evening, transportation officials said.

An Amtrak train struck a stalled RV on tracks in Berkeley Thursday evening, seriously injuring the RV’s driver, who officials said had already left the trailer but was hurt in the aftermath of the collision.

Train number 718, the San Joaquin, had 73 passengers on board when it struck the unoccupied vehicle, Amtrak officials said. No passengers or crew members reported injuries.

Union Pacific Railroad spokesman Francisco Castillo, Jr. said the driver of the RV, who was not identified, left the vehicle after it started stalling at the tracks on Bancroft Way in Berkeley.

The train collided with the RV about 6:10 p.m., while the impact pushed the trailer in the driver’s direction, Castillo said.

“When the Amtrak train collided with the RV, the vehicle spun and hit the driver,” he said.

The driver was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland with serious injuries, Castillo said.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.