Elderly Driver Narrowly Avoids Train Crash

By Bay City News Service

An elderly woman who drove her car onto the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and got stuck in Fremont was spared being struck by an approaching train Wednesday morning, according to Fremont police.

The 83-year-old woman called police around 7 a.m., and said that she was stuck on the tracks at Stevenson and Mission boulevards, police said.

Officers arrived at that area and were unable to find the woman but continued down the tracks and eventually found her about a quarter-mile down the tracks at the western end of Auto Mall Parkway, near the Electronics Waste Recycling Service at 42400 Boyce Road.

The woman had become disoriented, according to police, and when westbound Stevenson Boulevard ended she continued along the tracks until her car became disabled where the tracks switched.

While she was stuck she noticed a northbound commuter train approaching and began flashing her headlights, police said.

The train noticed the flashing lights and stopped in time.

Train crews allowed her to board the train to keep warm until authorities arrived.

Freight and passenger trains were held until 8:20 a.m. after railroad officials received a report of a stalled car on the tracks in the area, Union Pacific spokesman Aaron Hunt said.

Tow trucks were called to the tracks and trains were halted while the car was pulled off the tracks, police said.

No injuries were reported during the incident, Hunt said.

The woman's driving abilities will be re-evaluated, police said.

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