Amtrak Train Strikes, Kills Two In Watsonville
WATSONVILLE (BCN) -- A Fresno man and woman were killed when an Amtrak train struck their pickup truck as the truck crossed railroad tracks Saturday afternoon in Watsonville, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A southbound-traveling Amtrak train struck a 2007 Nissan pickup truck as the driver was attempting to drive the truck across the railroad tracks on Kirby Road near Elkhorn Road at about 1:15 p.m., a CHP dispatcher said.
The impact tossed the Nissan about 175 feet before the truck came to a rest on the east side of the railroad tracks.
The driver, a 48-year-old man from Fresno, and the passenger, a 50-year-old woman also from Fresno, were both pronounced dead on the scene.
The train, which sustained only minor damage had been making its way to Los Angeles, but was taken to San Jose to investigate the crash.
Officials investigated for about one and a half hours and then the train resumed service to Los Angeles with about 160 passengers onboard, Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole said.
"The engineer who was operating the train did nothing wrong, he was merely operating the train," Cole said. "He was quite traumatized and will need counseling."
The train engineer was not put on administrative leave and will continue to operate trains, Cole said.
The train arrived in Los Angeles two hours behind schedule.
No injuries were reported onboard the train, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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