No injuries reported after truck stuck on Redding RR tracks leads to fiery collision
REDDING, Calif., — A man whose pickup truck became stuck on a set of Redding railroad tracks was lucky to escape uninjured when his vehicle was struck by a passing Amtrak train early Friday morning, Sept. 3. Although the victim’s truck exploded upon impact and was fully engulfed in flames within moments, the driver had already exited the vehicle; which was destroyed and left nearly unrecognizable by the tremendous impact with the train.
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City of Redding police officers were dispatched to the scene around 3 a.m. after receiving reports of a vehicle stuck on the railroad tracks near the intersection of Girvan Road and California State Route 273, Redding Police Corporal Chris Staup has since reported.
While officers were still headed to the scene, they received additional 911 calls reporting that the pickup truck had been struck by a northbound Amtrak passenger train.
A 51-year-old Redding man was lucky to escape without injury after his vehicle was struck by an Amtrak train carrying nearly200 passengers from Los Angeles to Redding early Friday morning. RPD photos
The first officer arrived at the scene within minutes and located vehicle, later determined to be a 2000 Chevy pickup truck, fully engulfed in flames at the front of the train.
Redding Fire personnel responded and extinguished the truck fire, while an officer extinguished a small fire at the front of the train; which had managed to reverse direction and move away from the burning pickup before catching fire itself.
The owner of the truck, Charles Graham, 51, of Redding, had managed to exit his truck before the collision and remained at the scene and was cooperative with Redding PD’s subsequent investigation.
“(Graham) stated he inadvertently turned too soon while traveling westbound on Girvan Road and attempting to turn onto northbound California State Route 273,” Staup explained; adding that the vehicle’s front tire became stuck on the railroad tracks as a result.
Although he attempted to free his truck from the tracks he was unsuccessful in doing so before the oncoming train plowed into it.
The train’s conductor later told officers that the train was traveling at approximately 45 to 50 mph when it made impact with the truck.
Officers also learned the train, which was carrying a total of 186 passengers, was traveling from Los Angeles to Redding via Sacramento, according to Staup; who said none of the passengers or train personnel were injured in the accident.
The collision and fire forced Union Pacific to stop all train traffic until the tracks were cleared about an hour later at around 4:15 a.m.
Staup later used the opportunity to remind area residents and pedestrians “to use extreme caution on and around railroad crossings.”
“The average train can travel about 1.25 miles before it is able to come to a complete stop,” Staup explained.
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.