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Vehicle struck by train in Burbank, 1 person hospitalized

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The Burbank Police Department is investigating reports of a vehicle struck by a passing train Tuesday evening.

The call came in sometime around 6:13 p.m. of a car being struck by a Metrolink commuter train traveling toward Ventura County near Vanowen and Buena Vista streets. Burbank Police Lt. Gerry Misquez said the driver of the vehicle, a man in his 20s, was its lone occupant and was transported to a nearby hospital after suffering minor injuries.

No fatalities were reported in the collision, and the train did not derail, according to Misquez.

He also said the train was traveling westbound while the car was going southbound.

Sgt. Derek Green, a spokesman with Burbank police, said an official cause of the collision has not yet been determined.

However, he added that witnesses at the scene described seeing the vehicle attempt to cross the tracks while the crossing arms were down and warning lights were flashing.

Kevin McCaffrey, a Chatsworth resident, was on the train during the collision. He said police officers and firefighters boarded the train sometime after the incident to make sure passengers were OK.

No one was injured, he said in an email.

“We knew we hit something, but we weren’t sure exactly what,” he said. “A gentleman sitting a few seats away thought it was a car.”

The surrounding area was closed to traffic following the collision, both for cars and trains. A Metrolink representative was called to the scene.

McCaffrey said the train resumed moving around 8:40 p.m.

The incident remains under investigation.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc


UPDATES:

Aug. 23, 2017; 5:43 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from the Burbank Police Department about the collision’s cause.

Aug. 22, 2017; 9:28 p.m.: This article was updated with more details about the collision from the Burbank Police Department and a passenger on the train.

This article was originally published at 6:35 p.m. on Aug. 22, 2017.

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