August 20, 2015
BRENTWOOD, CA (CBS SF
A man in a pickup truck and a woman on a boat near Brentwood were critically hurt when an Amtrak train hit the pickup truck Thursday, launching the truck into the water where it hit the woman.
Authorities responded around 2:45 p.m. to a report of a collision between a train and vehicle on Orwood Road, Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said.
Graham said none of the crewmembers or 145 passengers aboard Amtrak No. 713 reported any injuries. The train originated in Bakersfield and was bound for Oakland, she said.
Authorities originally reported that there were two people in the truck that were hurt, but it was later determined only one person was in the truck. The impact of the train catapulted the truck into a boat, injuring the woman in the boat.
Both the woman and the pickup driver were airlifted to a hospital in critical condition.
A passenger on the train, Russell Bierle, said he didn’t feel the impact of the truck, but he did see it sinking slowly into a body of water adjacent to the train.
The tracks run through an area bisected by tributaries and canals. The train had just crossed over a bridge when it struck the vehicle, Bierle said.