Train sideswipes high-centered SUV
OREM, UTAH — An Orem man discovered Saturday that sometimes it’s better to walk to your favorite fishing hole.
The man attempted to drive his 1999 Ford Explorer as close as possible to a fishing spot at Utah Lake.
However, according to a police report, while trying to arrive at the spot, the man high-centered the SUV on a railroad track near 2000 N. West Geneva Road.
Edwards said the man tried for 15 minutes to free the vehicle when he saw the headlights of a train.
He turned on the emergency flashers, Edwards said, hoping the train engineer would see them and stop.
“By the time the train’s engineer could identify the problem, it was just too late,” Edwards said. “The man had the good sense to abandon his Ford and stand back at a safe distance and watch.”
The train wasn’t on the same track where the Explorer was stuck — but it was on the one next to that track.
So the SUV wasn’t crunched, just sideswiped — over and over again — as each car went by and as the train slowly came to a stop, Edwards said.
Damage estimate to the SUV is $3,000, Edwards said.
“Paramedics responded to treat the vehicle owner for what was best described as a panic attack,” Edwards said.
Panic attack?!? Better the stupid SUV than him!..
Tom
I watched that special last night on moving the UP station and locos. They showed another house that was being moved across some tracks and got stuck half way across. A freght train came around the bend and plowed right through the middle of it!
I wonder what the engineer thought when he looked up and saw a house sitting on the tracks?
That was a pretty fun show on TLC with the !SP! station and the UP locos…
Lothar - don’t worry about it. It was a giggle moment in the show when the guy on it pointed at one set of tracks and identified it as the UP tracks, and then at another track and said that that was the SP track… This was long after 1996, and the show even had patched SP equipment and armor yellow tunnel motors.
Did he cross at a crossing? If he didn’t it serves him right.
We have a '96 Ford Explorer with leather! I think its pretty hard to high-center one of those babies. How high was the rail anyway?
At least it didn’t look like this
or this
or even this
Where does Bronco come in? The item says a Ford Explorer.
Bob Boudreau
You would think the engineer would have seen those flashers and stopped? I smell a lawsuit. I mean it was the right of way he was on. [}:)]
Think this is what happens when people fall for the dealer’s sales pitch - the problem with any 4x4 is the squishy part behind the wheel who doesn’t realise that it does have some limitations!