The minivan that collided with the train.Photo: utah county sheriff
The woman had four children inside the van, all of whom were under the age of 10, according to authorities.
All four suffered minor injuries, while the woman sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries, including some to her pelvic area, Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County’s Sheriff’s Officeconfirmed in a follow-up video.
The damage of the minivan.utah county sheriff
While recording from the site of the crash, Cannon showed exactly where the minivan was struck and the debris scrapes on the road, noting that things could’ve turned out differently had the woman’s vehicle been closer to the track.
“This can be a game of inches — and I apologize for referring to it as a game, it’s not a game — but you can see right here where the woman’s minivan was first struck,” he explained. “If that had been just six inches over… we would probably be having a completely different discussion right now. We’d be talking about fatalities, that’s the reality of it.”
“While [the woman] has serious injuries and will be recovering for a while, she is very fortunate this was not worse,” he added.
Cannon also confirmed that the driver and children were all “properly restrained” and that the train did have a “loud” warning horn.
At this time, the cause of the collision remains unknown.
“In situations like this, we often aren’t able to get those details from a driver if they are seriously injured,” Cannon wrote in the Facebook post’s comment section.
The sergeant said they are investigating the incident and noted that it’s the second non-fatal injury accident they’ve had in the area within the last year.
RELATED VIDEO: ‘Numerous’ Deaths After New York Train Collides with SUV
“I can’t stress enough how important it is to stop completely at a stop sign,” he said in the clip. “When you get to a railroad crossing, stop means stop.”
“You can’t be too careful. When you get to a stop sign, stop all the way, take half a second to look both ways to see if it’s clear and safe to proceed,” he added. “Take those things seriously.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Union Pacific confirmed the incident and said none of their crew members were hurt.
“The Utah County Sheriff’s Department was on scene and has the lead on this investigation,” the statement reads. “We’re also working with the Sheriff’s Department to understand why the vehicle was in the crossing.”
source: people.com
