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TV news reporter nearly hit by car while covering Bay Area train derailment

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A television news reporter covering a Bay Area train derailment was almost run over by a careening automobile Tuesday morning, but escaped injury when a camera operator shouted at him to get out of the way at the last second.

Alex Savidge was reporting live for KTVU-TV from a 7-Eleven parking lot in Fremont when a traffic collision launched a white sedan over the curb and directly at him.

Savidge never saw the car coming, however, as he was delivering his standup and his back was turned.

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Fortunately, cameraman Chip Vaughan spotted the speeding vehicle and shouted “Alex, get out of the way,” according to Savidge.

“My heart hasn’t stopped racing,” Savidge later said in a video posted on Facebook. ‘I am doing OK.”

A rattled Savidge thanked Vaughan and gave him a hug after the episode.

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Savidge and Vaughan had been covering the derailment of a commuter train that occurred about 7:15 p.m. Monday in Niles Canyon.

The Altamont Corridor Express, also known as the ACE train, was traveling north between Fremont and Pleasanton when it struck a tree that had fallen onto the tracks and derailed.

A mudslide triggered by days of rain likely caused the derailment, ACE officials said. There were 214 passenger aboard, and nine were injured.

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“Our main priority is to ensure the safety of all ACE passengers,” ACE said in a statement. “Service will resume once the tracks have been cleared and the area has been inspected.”

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA

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