Motorist killed by freight train along Highway 99 in Northern California, CHP says
An Oroville man was killed after a train struck his vehicle Monday night near Highway 99 north of Yuba City, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The 59-year-old driver was heading east on Clark Road in Sutter County in a 1999 Nissan Sentra when he “drove through the railroad crossing arms, which were down and functioning properly, directly into the path of a northbound Union Pacific train,” the CHP Yuba-Sutter office said in a news release.
The man was not wearing a seat belt, according to the CHP collision report, and was ejected from the Nissan when the train struck the right side of the vehicle, authorities said.
The victim, who has not yet been identified by the coroner’s office, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The CHP said alcohol is believed to be a factor in the collision.
Clark Road was closed for several hours while authorities responded. Highway 99 traffic was not affected.
