(October 1, 2025 – Guadalupe, California)
A California truck driver was pronounced dead early Thursday morning following his involvement in a collision with an Amtrak passenger train that took place on Wednesday, October 1, at approximately 4:15 p.m. The tragic accident occurred just off of Highway 1, north of Brown Road and near an agricultural field, over Union Pacific Railroad’s (UP) tracks.
The victim was later identified as 58-year-old Santiago Saucedo Sr. of Santa Maria, California. According to reports, Saucedo had just turned off of Highway 1 and onto a dirt road before being struck by the northbound Amtrak train. His tanker truck, which had been carrying 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel, was overturned and spilled its load in the roadway and field. The Santa Barbara Country Fire Department confirmed that Saucedo had extensive injuries, and three Amtrak passengers sustained minor ones in the crash. All were hospitalized. Saucedo was taken to Marian Regional Medical Center and declared deceased the following morning.
According to Union Pacific’s submitted records, the railroad crossing where the accident occurred sees an average of 5 trains per day, which travel at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. At least three prior collisions have taken place at the crossing. The UP crossing is uncontrolled, lacking lights, gates and bells. In addition, the extent of its passive control devices is just two stop signs. The crossing provides minimal passive warnings and no active warnings, despite the crossing being just a small turn away from the high-speed operations of Highway 1.
The collision occurred not long after a similar accident in June, in which a Metrolink train collided with a semitruck in Moorpark, California, killing the driver and injuring a train passenger. A related July incident in Ventura, California, saw a young woman’s arm was ripped off after she was struck by an Amtrak train.