SALT LAKE CITY — A man was in stable condition after his vehicle was struck by a TRAX train Tuesday.
About 10:45 a.m., a minivan traveling north on Main Street near 200 South apparently attempted a U-turn just past the intersection and turned directly into the path of a northbound train, said Salt Lake police detective Dennis McGowan.
"Somehow, a train that size — he didn't see it or couldn't see it," McGowan said.
The train, which was not traveling at a high rate of speed, smashed into the driver's side door. Emergency crews were able to get the 57-year-old driver out of the van through the passenger door and onto a stretcher, and he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
McGowan said no one on the train was hurt.
"I didn't feel it. I heard it," said Dennis Kent, who was sitting on the front row of the train when the accident happened. "I don't know what … he was thinking. He drove right in front of it."
The train pushed the van about 15 feet before coming to a stop. McGowan said the driver would be cited for attempting to make an illegal U-turn.
The detective said the incident was a good reminder for motorists to be aware of their surroundings and obey traffic rules.
Traffic on Main Street between 200 South and 100 South was reopened at noon.
— Pat Reavy