TRENTON, Utah, Jan. 19, 2023 — The Cache County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim in Thursday’s train-truck crash that sent the truck driver to the hospital in an ambulance.
“The driver of the truck is Gary Riddle,” according to the Friday afternoon press release from the sheriff’s office on social media.”He is a resident of Cache County. When Mr. Riddle was transported, he was in critical condition with severe injuries. The Cache County Sheriff’s Office will not be giving any additional patient updates.”
The collision came just before 2 p.m. Thursday inside the city limits of Trenton, a small town just north of Smithfield, on the train tracks in the area of 800 South.
“The investigation showed the truck was driving east on 800 South in Trenton,” according to the release signed by Lt. Mikelshan Bartschi, public information officer. “The train was traveling south. The intersection has yield signs for automobile traffic.
“The train is over 100 cars or over 9,000 feet long. The train weighs in excess of 30 million pounds. At full emergency braking, it took the train about half a mile to stop. Additional investigative steps will still be taken and we will not speculate on any cause of the crash at this time.”
The sheriff’s office also advise drivers to “consciously think, ‘See tracks. Think train.’ Remember to yield and, as always, wear your seat belt.”
