Car hit by train in downtown Modesto. Driver says he didn’t see crossing arm coming down
Two people escaped serious injury despite their vehicle being hit by a train in downtown Modesto on Monday afternoon.
Theoatis Hill, 28, of Antioch, was driving a Kia Rio with his passenger, a 28-year-old unidentified Modesto woman, east on I street around 4:30 p.m. when he drove onto the tracks between Eighth and Ninth streets, said Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear.
The crossing arm was coming down as Hill drove onto the tracks at approximately 10 mph but he told investigators he didn’t see it, Bear said.
The passenger side of the vehicle was broadsided. Bear did not know the speed of the train.
The passenger was pinned in the vehicle and had to be extricated by firefighters. Both she and the driver suffered minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to local hospitals.
This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 12:20 PM.
