SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 27, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Traffic was expected to be blocked for hours at a downtown Salt Lake City rail crossing after a man intentionally drove his car into a slow-moving freight train early Friday morning.
Salt Lake City Police Lt. Dave Cracroft told Gephardt Daily the incident happen at 3:48 a.m. at the crossing located at 200 South 700 West.
When first responder arrived, they found a white sedan wedged between two railcars about 100 yards from the actual crossing.
Cracroft said a male driver, the lone occupant of the vehicle, had been knock unconscious, but “woke up” and “crawled out of the car himself.”
Upon questioning, the driver told police “he had driven through the gates intentionally. He intentionally hit the train.”
The driver was taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation, according to Cracroft. He said the man appeared to suffer no other injuries.
“No one else was hurt. The car is obviously totaled. We’re just trying to figure out how to yank it out from between those train cars,” Cracroft said.
For those who may be considering suicide, help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at the National Suicide Hotline. To talk with a mental health expert, call 1-800-273-8255.
