CHP investigating after truck rolls into ditch in Summerland near a moving train
SUMMERLAND, Calif. -- A northbound train narrowly missed an out of control pickup truck as it came off of Highway 101 in Summerland and rolled over down to a ditch.
5 people were inside the crushed vehicle, including three children. There were no serious injuries.
The Santa Barbara CHP is investigating the Tuesday crash which took place just after noon.
Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Gutierrez said somehow the driver steered the truck into the active construction zone, some of it with only dirt. At one point the CHP says the driver turned the wheel towards the embankment.
The truck went through a wooden sign, and down into vegetation just past some homeless camps.
The CHP along with the Carpinteria-Summerland firefighters and three AMR ambulance crews were dispatched to the scene. Lookout Park nearby was closed by County Park Rangers during the rescue.
Emergency responders called Union Pacific to stop trains. A northbound Amtrak, already in motion, slowed to a stop right at the accident scene. The vehicle was not on the tracks but only a few feet away.
Everyone inside the truck went to Cottage Hospital for an assessment.
Gutierrez says the driver was from West Hills in Los Angeles County.
The CHP took photos of the site, and the investigating officer is interviewing everyone in the truck to determine why the vehicle went into the construction zone and over the side.
