The California Highway Patrol revealed an auto-train collision in Bakersfield, California, ejected two people from a car on Wednesday, August 5th. The crash claimed the 21-year-old male driver’s life, but his girlfriend, 21-year-old Bonnie Jeban, survived.
The accident report placed the fatal victim behind the wheel of a Nissan Altima. The investigators said that the man was eastbound on top speed on Edison Highway, east of Oswell Street, before the occurrence.
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He passed another vehicle on the road from the second lane and lost control of the Nissan. The motorist swerved to the left across a raised center median and westbound lanes. The car continued onto the north shoulder of the roadway and overturned on the railroad tracks, where an eastbound BNSF freight train struck it.
When emergency responders arrived at the scene, they found the driver and Jeban on the tracks, with the man already dead. Medics transported the woman to Kern Medical Center with severe injuries, and there’s no update on her condition at this time.
The CHP said that the victims were not wearing their seatbelts, causing the ejection. The investigation into the occurrence remains open, and anyone with helpful information should contact the highway patrol on the listed line.
Auto-train accidents are otherwise avoidable if drivers stay away from undesignated crossing areas and obey the rules and regulations of railway regulatory agencies. A person who wants to cross a train track must do so in a marked area with functional warning lights or signals.
Disclaimer: The Safety Watch article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.
The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Safety Watch’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.