A California woman is counting her lucky stars after her SUV was violently struck by a train—with dramatic video showing the car being torn apart in the collision.
The 18-year-old, who has not been named, had stopped at a railroad crossing in Bakersfield Friday, but then her car began creeping forward on to the tracks just as a train barreled toward her.
Seconds later, disaster struck.
Video from the scene shows the locomotive plowing straight into the SUV, ripping it apart in a violent explosion of metal and debris that left bystanders fearing the worst.
“I just saw a car start inching slowly and they kind of hit the guard rail and I was like oh that’s not good,” witness Blake Blanton told local outlets, recalling how he immediately started honking and told his wife, Allie Cardoza, to call 911.
Blanton didn’t think twice before springing into action. “That’s someone’s daughter in there,” he said.
Authorities later revealed the teen was likely suffering a medical emergency, which may have caused her to lose control of the car and roll into the train’s path. Against all odds, she survived.
Cardoza, a trained medical assistant, rushed to the wreckage and worked to keep the young driver conscious as first responders raced to the scene.
“Just trying to make sure she was okay…I tried to get her talking because she was not speaking whenever I would try to talk to her,” Cardoza said.
Miraculously, officials say the teen did not suffer major injuries from the crash itself, despite the sheer force of impact. She was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution.
The shocking crash remains under investigation. Police have not released the driver’s identity.
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