David Evans has driven 9000 South during rush hour at least 100 times. And at least 100 times he's inched his way across the railroad tracks at 385 West.
At 6:52 p.m. Thursday Evans was doing exactly that - waiting for the traffic to begin moving again - when he heard the bells and the sounds of a train. He realized the back end of his flat bed was resting on the tracks."I just had time enough to think about backing up," Evans, 44, West Jordan, said. "As soon as it (the train) came around the corner, I could see that it was really moving. I just barely jumped out in time."
Evans jumped from his truck and ran into the center of the road - just in time to see the train demolish his 1978 International flat bed.
"I just barely turned around in time to watch it hit it (the truck)," he said. "The train picked that thing up and pushed it like it was nothing."
The train was traveling at 57 miles per hour when the conductor saw the flatbed on the tracks and realized there would be a collision, said Sandy City Police Officer Dan Cargill, the incident commander.
"The conductor saw the truck, put on the brakes and then hit the deck," Cargill said. It took the train nearly two blocks to stop after the impact. The train hit the back end of the truck and then the front end.
Although train conductors know that a train usually wins in a collision, they never know if what they hit will explode, said Cargill. Thus, the need to hit the deck.
Damage estimates for the train were between $11,000 and $12,000, he said. Evans' truck was totaled, and he received a citation for stopping on the tracks.
It seemed to be a bad day, but it all depends on your perspective.
"We can buy a new truck, but we can't buy a new you," said his father, David Evans Sr., who helped his son load the welding equipment onto another truck. Onlookers also offered their help and reminded Evans how lucky he was.