3 Women OK After Their Car Is Hit by Train
Three women escaped serious injury Tuesday afternoon when their car stopped on a Fullerton rail line and was struck by a freight train, authorities said.
Driver Tudie Sutherlin, 83, of Fullerton was taken to a hospital after complaining of pain, said Fullerton Police Officer Bill Wallis. She was later released from Anaheim Memorial Hospital.
Sutherlin was driving a burgundy Cutlass Supreme south on Raymond Avenue shortly after noon when a rail crossing gate near Valencia Drive came down.
She stopped the car under the gate, its front end protruding onto the track. Panicked by the approaching train, she did not back up, even though drivers behind her had left room, Wallis said.
The train’s engineer hit the emergency brakes when he saw the car but was unable to stop. The engine hit the car at 25 mph.
The train accident was the second in Fullerton in two weeks, taking place less than three miles from the Nov. 18 MetroLink accident, which injured 19 and caused delays for thousands of rail commuters.
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