Two Californians Killed at Dangerous, Unguarded Union Pacific Crossing
(Sacramento, CA – August 22, 2022)
Two California men were tragically killed in Sacramento on Sunday afternoon when their pickup truck was struck by a Union Pacific freight train. The collision occurred at a dangerous, unguarded rural crossing in Yuba County. According to reports, the men were attempting to cross a private roadway near Highway 65 and Dairy Road identified as crossing #753262L in Yuba County when their truck was struck by the train. The identities of the passenger and driver have not been identified, they it was confirmed that they both died at the scene.
Records indicate this dangerous Union Pacific crossing has also had a previous collision that caused unknown injuries. The dangers of the train crossing include not only its lack of lights and gates, but the train’s speed goes up to 70 miles per hour.
Despite the high-speed train operations and the crossing being occupied on average by six Union Pacific freight trains per day, the crossing remains without active warning devices, such as lights and gates. It is very virtually certain that the addition of lights and gates could have prevented this tragedy. Union Pacific and Operation Lifesaver know that lights and gates are the most effective type of protection at railroad crossings. Studies that have been conducted over fifty years ago confirm that lights and gates offer the ability to drastically reduce the number of vehicle/train collisions by as much as 96%.
The crash is still under investigation and the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office is pending notification of the family.