Heart-stopping moment train smashes into SUV seconds after driver’s daring last-minute escape

A driver in Utah narrowly avoided a fatal collision with a train after their car was pushed onto the tracks by another vehicle before being smashed into pieces. 

Dramatic footage of the incident in Layton on Tuesday afternoon shows the white SUV being nudged onto the train tracks by the car behind as the boom gate arm was being lowered. 

As the crossing lights flashed, the driver appeared to be trying to decide what to do next and was seen reversing back out of harm’s way. 

But with the barrier already down, the SUV couldn’t move further back and their front wheels remained on the train tracks. 

Noticing the FrontRunner train quickly approaching, the driver made a call to abandon the SUV and make a run for it. 

Within seconds, the train and the SUV collided, tearing off the front bumper and sending the vehicle spinning onto the road as pieces flew across the road. 

The body of the car hit crossing post and gate arm, which fell to the ground. 

Footage from inside the train showed the moment the train approach the vehicle as it partially blocked the trains path. 

‘Oh, come on,’ the train operator said just moments before the collision. 

A heavy thud was heard from inside the train as it crashed into the car.  

Lt. Travis Lyman with the Layton Police Department said the incident occurred at 1000 S Angel Street. 

Lyman added that although the car was significantly damaged, the driver had no injuries, reported KSLTV. 

Utah Transit Authority public information officer Gavin Gustafson told the outlet that the driver was probably in shock. 

‘I’m certainly not going to second-guess them in the heat of the moment, and sometimes, the view might be blocked by something else, you don’t want to pull forward if there is another train coming,’ he said. 

The outlet reported that UTA estimates the collision caused over $100,000 in damage to the train.