MAPLETON, Utah, April 23, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — One person was taken to the hospital Friday afternoon after a car was struck by a train in Mapleton.
“Today, a 24-year-old woman decided to blow a stop sign at a railroad crossing that had no lights or crossing arms,” Utah County Sheriff Sgt. Spencer Cannon tweeted. “She thought she could make it.”
The accident happened at about 2 a.m. Friday near U.S. 89 and 2400 East. The Mapleton City Fire Department responded to the scene. The Utah County Sheriff’s Department will handle the investigation.
The woman was alone in the car, Cannon told Gephardt Daily, adding she “told deputies she thought the train was going slower than it was, and she could make it,” he said. “But the engineer said she did not stop for the stop sign.”
The victim had “almost no injuries, which is amazing,” Cannon said. “The car was destroyed. The brunt of the impact was on the back half of the car.”
No one on the train was injured, Cannon said. The engine was not visibly damaged, he said.
As for the driver, Cannon said, “she was cited for railroad crossing violation and never obtaining a driver’s license. There’s no reason not to stop.
“She was incredibly lucky to be uninjured.”
