The driver of a vehicle that was struck by a train in Newhall on Monday is expected to survive, according to law enforcement officials.
In a follow-up statement sent to The Signal on Tuesday, Deputy Natalie Arriaga, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, said the man sustained only minor injuries after his four-door sedan was hit on the driver’s side by a Metrolink train.
“It is believed to be accidental,” said Arriaga. “(It is) still under investigation. The victim sustained minor injuries and is expected to survive.”
No further details about how the vehicle seemed to come in the pathway of the train were available as of the publication of this story.
The single-vehicle-versus-train collision was first reported at 6:31 p.m. near the intersection of Pine Street and Market Street, according to Supervisor Ed Pickett, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Pickett added that first responders on the scene were treating at least one patient, but they had not been trapped inside the vehicle once the train had struck it.
In a statement released via their Antelope Valley Twitter account, Metrolink officials confirmed that the tracks between Sylmar and Newhall were closed due to Train 225 striking a vehicle on the tracks.
“AV Line 225 to Lancaster is stopped between Sylmar and Newhall due to striking a vehicle on the tracks,” read a tweet from Metrolink sent out at approximately 6:45 p.m. “Delays are unknown. Updates to follow.”
The vehicle, described as a newer model Honda Accord, appeared to have been struck on the driver’s side, flying 10-15 feet from the tracks and through a fence before crash landing, according to witnesses on the scene.
Traffic was delayed in the area as first responders worked to investigate the scene and clear it of the vehicle and any debris.
