1 dead in fiery crash involving Amtrak train, vehicle near Vacaville
SOLANO COUNTY – A fiery crash involving a vehicle and an Amtrak train has left one person dead near Vacaville early Thursday afternoon.
The Vacaville Fire Protection District says they responded to the scene near California Pacific and Elmira roads just before 12:30 p.m.
Crews found a vehicle fully engulfed after the crash.
ALERT: Train 541 is stopped west of Davis (DAV) due to a disabled vehicle on the tracks along the route ahead. We will provide updates as information becomes available. #CapitolCorridor
— Capitol Corridor (@CapitolCorridor) January 19, 2023
California Highway Patrol has since confirmed one person in the vehicle died; no one else was in the vehicle, officers say. The train crossing arms were down when the vehicle was hit.
Due to the crash, train traffic on the Capitol Corridor is delayed. Train 532 is holding in Fairfield-Vacaville, Capitol Corridor says, while Train 543 is being delayed from departing Sacramento.
Amtrak released a statement Thursday afternoon saying more than a hundred people were on board the train and they were investigating the incident with authorities.
On January 19, Amtrak train 541 was traveling from Sacramento to San Jose at approx. 12:40 when a vehicle obstructing the track came into contact with the train in Elmira, CA with 106 passengers onboard. Amtrak is working with local law enforcement to investigate the incident.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), trespassing along railroad rights-of-way is the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America, and railroad crossing incidents are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in America. These incidents can affect everyone involved—those who are injured or die and their families, our train crews, and our passengers. They also serve as critical reminders about the importance of obeying the law and of exercising extreme caution around railroad tracks and crossings. Amtrak continues to work closely with Operation Lifesaver (OLI) to #STOPTrackTragedies by emphasizing the obvious dangers of being on railroad property or disregarding warnings at rail crossings. For more railroad safety information, please visit StayOffTheTracks.org.
No other details about the incident have been released at this point.