FrontRunner train collides with semi that rolled off southbound I-15 in Centerville

Investigators responded to the scene of an accident involving a TRAX train and a semi on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018. Photo: Gephardt Daily/Patrick Benedict

CENTERVILLE, Utah, Aug. 27, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Drivers and FrontRunner riders faced delays in Centerville Monday afternoon after a semi tractor-trailer rig rolled off the side of Interstate 15, and collided with a commuter train.

A tweet from Utah Department of Transportation said the incident occurred in the area of milepost 321 at 2100 North in Centerville. The two right lanes, as well as the hard shoulder, were closed in that area, and FrontRunner services were halted while the scene was cleared.

The driver of the semi and his dog, who was riding with him, suffered only minor injuries as a result of the incident, UTA spokesman Carl Arky told Gephardt Daily. The driver was transported to an area hospital as a precaution.

Arky said it appears that the semi was just north of Parrish Lane when it hit the center divider on I-15, possibly because the driver was fatigued, bounced off the center divider, came across all the other lanes of traffic, was not struck by any other vehicle and hit the guardrail on the other side of the freeway.

“It rolled over, came to a stop, when it came to a stop it was not on the alignment, but one of the wheels was jutting out enough so that when UTA’s southbound train came by it clipped the wheel and that is what caused the collision between the train and the truck,” Arky said. “It was really more of a glancing blow than anything else. We were very fortunate in that West Valley officers were driving by on their way to work and they stopped and responded, they were trying to cut the driver and dog out of the cab at the time this happened and then one of them noticed right away there was a UTA train coming southbound and it was not able to stop in time before it clipped that wheel, but there were officers on the scene almost immediately, and we want to give credit to the West Valley City Police Department for that.”

Arky added the driver hit the large cconcrete foundation for a power box that provides the power to one of the signs over the I-15 freeway, and that was responsible for most of the damage to the rig.

He added there were 104 passengers on board the FrontRunner and no one was injured; the train itself sustained only minor damage. The train came round a curve just before it came to the accident site and could not slow down in time to not hit the wheel, Arky said.

A bus bridge was activated between Farmington and Woods Cross for a period of time. However, UTA services are now back to normal, with restricted speeds while the scene is cleared.

A tweet from UTA at 4 p.m. said: “Bus bridge has been cancelled, trains will travel at restricted speeds between Farmington and Woods Cross for safety reasons, continue to expect delays in both directions as trains return to their regular schedules.”

Gephardt Daily will update this developing story as information is made available.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here