Truck driver dies of injuries after crash with Amtrak train near Santa Maria
A Santa Maria man died after an Amtrak train crashed into his tanker truck on Wednesday afternoon.
The man’s 2020 Peterbilt truck carried 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel northbound on Highway 1 just north of Brown Road in Santa Maria, the California Highway Patrol said.
At 4:13 p.m., he “made a right turn onto a dirt road which led to an agricultural field,” where there was an uncontrolled railroad crossing, the CHP news release said.
A northbound Amtrak train crashed into the right side of the truck as it crossed the railroad tracks. The truck rolled onto its side, spilling disel fuel across the road and into a nearby agricultural field.
The driver suffered major injuries in the crash, and he died of his injuries in the hospital, the CHP said.
“This is a tragic event and a reminder to all of us to exercise extreme caution when driving in agricultural rural areas, especially at uncontrolled railroad crossings,” the CHP said in a news release. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the tanker truck driver which sadly lost his life.”
The train carried 260 passengers on Wednesday. Three passengers were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
Highway 1 was closed from Brown Road to Highway 166 after the crash until 1 a.m. That stretch of the highway closed again on Thursday at 8 a.m. for cleanup efforts.
“This closure will be affecting Amtrak trains that were scheduled to be passing through this area. We recommend that Amtrak travelers check their itineraries for possible changes for the next few days,” the CHP news release said. “This crash is a reminder to always slow down, look both ways, and be prepared to stop in a safe location for trains.”
