A woman in California is feeling incredibly fortunate after her SUV was struck by a train. Video footage captured the dramatic moment when the vehicle was wrecked in the collision.
The 18-year-old, whose identity remains undisclosed, was halted at a railroad crossing in Bakersfield on Friday. Suddenly, her car began inching onto the tracks just as the train approached.
A few moments later, everything went terribly wrong.
Footage from the scene depicted the train colliding forcefully with the SUV, creating a chaotic explosion of metal and debris. Bystanders feared the worst as they watched the event unfold.
“The car started moving slowly, and it looked like it was going to hit the guardrail. I thought, oh no, this is really bad,” witness Blake Blanton shared with local reporters. He quickly began honking his horn and urged his wife, Allie Cardoza, to call 911.
Blanton acted without hesitation, saying, “That’s somebody’s daughter there.”
Authorities later revealed that the young woman may have experienced a medical emergency that caused her to lose control of her vehicle, leading it onto the tracks. Incredibly, she survived the ordeal.
Cardoza, a medical assistant, rushed to the scene to help. She worked to keep the driver awake as paramedics arrived.
“I just wanted to make sure she was alright… When I tried to talk to her, she wouldn’t respond. So, I tried prompting her to communicate,” Cardoza recounted.
Remarkably, officials stated that despite the severity of the crash, the young woman did not sustain major injuries. She was taken to a local hospital for precautionary measures.
The incident is currently under investigation, and police have yet to release the driver’s name.
