August 10th, 2010 | 
Author: CLINTON, UT – The driver of a pickup truck was killed when his vehicle collided with a FrontRunner passenger train in Clinton, Utah on Monday, August 9, 2010.
FrontRunner Commuter Rail Train
Clinton is in Davis County, Utah in the northern part of the sate, about 32 miles northwest of Salt Lake City, about 9 miles southwest of Ogden, about 69 miles northwest of Orem and about 74 miles northwest of Provo.
The fatal crash happened at 7:57 p.m. Monday night at the railway crossing in the 500 West block of 1800 North in Clinton, Utah. The accident occurred when the driver of the pickup truck was trying to cross the tracks and went around the barrier at the crossing and was struck by the oncoming train.
Location of FrontRunner train and pickup truck crash in the 500 West block of 1800 North in Clinton, UT.
The victim was later identified as 52 year-old Charles Dubose from West Haven, UT. Dubose was the longtime owner of Charlie’s Service and RV Repair, an auto and RV shop in Sunset, Utah. Dubose was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Video Courtesy of KSL.com
According to a spokesman from the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) when the truck went around the crossing gates, the FrontRunner train slammed into the vehicle at top speed (about 79 miles an hour).
Some of the 18 passengers who were on the train were injured in the collision. One person was transported to a local hospital but most of the injuries were minor. No injuries to the train operator were reported.
Gerry Carpenter, a spokesman for the UTA, said that the train operator was visibly “shaken and upset” by the accident, but was otherwise uninjured. He has been put on paid administrative leave while a mandatory investigation into the crash is undertaken.
A child’s car seat was in the truck at the time of the accident, but authorities believe the victim was alone in the pickup truck at the time.
The pickup truck was moving eastbound on W 1800 North and the train was moving southbound when the crash occurred.
Below is a Google street view of the railroad crossing on W 1800 North in Clinton, UT. You can click the mouse and drag it around to get a full 360° view of the scene of the collision.
The train, which was traveling at about 79 m.p.h. at the time, had no time to slow down and then plowed into the pickup truck’s passenger side.
The impact of the collision pushed the pickup truck four blocks to the south. Wreckage from the pickup truck was spread out over the four block long area.
On Tuesday morning, FrontRunner traffic had resumed to normal.
The accident remains under investigation.
Published by FELA lawyer Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP
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