A newly released video captures the dramatic moment a driver escaped his SUV just seconds before a Utah Transit Authority (UTA) passenger train slammed into it in Layton, Utah, last week.
The footage shows the train speeding down the tracks as it nears a railroad crossing, where a white SUV is partially blocking the rails.
The train operator, audibly frustrated, can be heard saying, “Oh, come on,” while the horn blares from hundreds of yards away. Despite the warning, the train was unable to stop in time, resulting in a loud crash as it hit the SUV.
Security camera footage reveals that the SUV approached the crossing as the red lights flashed and the gate arm lowered. However, a white pickup truck pushed the SUV from behind, forcing it onto the tracks and nearly clipping the gate.
The driver hit the brakes, but the rear wheels remained on the tracks. As the train approached, the driver tried to reverse, but the gate arm didn’t open. Desperate, he reversed further, pushing against the gate arm.
Realizing the gate wouldn’t budge, the driver quickly exited the SUV and walked away just seconds before the train barreled through the crossing, smashing into the SUV and sending it spinning into the gate post. The front of the vehicle was completely destroyed.
UTA public information officer Gavin Gustafson told KSLTV that everyone was fortunate to have escaped without injuries. He acknowledged it’s easy to think the driver should have broken through the gate, but added that shock likely played a role.
“I’m certainly not going to second-guess them in the heat of the moment,” Gustafson said. “Sometimes the view might be blocked by something else—you don’t want to pull forward if another train is coming.”
Despite the narrow escape, UTA estimates that the crash caused over $100,000 in train damage. The gate and crossing post were also damaged but were reportedly repaired within 24 hours with help from the city of Layton.
