A TRAX train collided with a black BMW on campus Tuesday morning when a driver attempted to cross the tracks as a train approached, police said.
The accident occuredat the intersection of Wasatch Drive and Medical Drive, just north of the legacy bridge. The driver of the vehicle was attempting to make a right-hand turn onto Medical Dr. As the driver approached the intersection where signs display “no turn on red,” the driver slowed and rolled into an oncoming train, according to Utah Transit Authority spokesman Chad Saley.
Saley said the TRAX train sustained minor damage from the accident and none of the 25 people aboard the train at the time were injured. The driver of the car was not injured.
The accident was reported to police at 8:26 a.m. By 8:31 a.m., police had clearedthe intersection and trax trains began running. Traffic was backed up on Medical Drive for a short time as police worked to clean up the accident.
According to Capt. Lynn Mitchell of the U Police Department, the driver reported that the sun was in his eyes and he couldn’t see the traffic signal. When trains are involved in traffic accidents, Mitchell said the driver of the car is usually to blame.
“If you were involved in a traffic accident with a train, you were where you’re not supposed to be because the train can’t move off the tracks,” Mitchell said.
The driver was not cited for a traffic violation.