WATCH: UHP Trooper pulls man from car seconds before train crash
Oct 16, 2019, 7:28 AM | Updated: 6:31 pm
(Photo: Utah Highway Patrol)
(Photo: Utah Highway Patrol)
CENTERVILLE, Utah — A Utah Highway Patrol trooper pulled a driver to safety just moments before a FrontRunner train crash between Pages and Parrish Lanes off I-15.
Trooper Ruben Correa told reporters it appeared the driver suffered some kind of medical emergency just before crashing through a fence and onto the tracks near Centerville.
Caught on tape
Dashcam video from the trooper’s cruiser shows the officer rushing to the crash site to rescue the driver. Then, a FrontRunner train blares its horn, and you see the train smash into the car.
Check out the amazing life-saving work by Trp. Correa this morning! pic.twitter.com/O6du6AN9Oo
— Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) October 16, 2019
In the video shared by UHP on Twitter, you can hear Correa’s voice straining to relay the danger over the sound of the approaching train.
“We’ve got a train coming! “We’ve got a train coming!” he yelled.
Utah Transit Authority spokesman Carl Arky told Utah’s Morning News Correa’s quick actions prevented any injuries.
UTA initially reported that it was a Union Pacific railway worker that aided the individual in the vehicle but later confirmed that it was a UHP officer.
The hero of the train crash
“I wasn’t really thinking; I was just doing my job,” Correa told reporters afterward.
Correa said the driver was unconscious when he pulled him from the vehicle; he did not elaborate on exactly what type of medical issue was to blame for the accident.
His lieutenant said Correa received a well-earned day off as a thank you for his hard work.
We have a new hero in Utah. His name is Trooper Ruben Correa. He saved a driver’s life seconds before a train hit the person’s car. @kslnewsradio @D2KSL Watch: https://t.co/xgMQ9d2jXf
— Debbie Dujanovic (@debbieksl) October 16, 2019
UTA officials used a bus bridge for much of the early morning commute to get FrontRunner riders around the accident. Delays stacked up quickly on I-15, where emergency vehicles staged to respond to the crash.
Delays related to the train crash stacked up quickly. Photo: UDOT
At one point, delays related to the train crash meant it took drivers two hours to get from Ogden to Salt Lake City.
