Faris Chebib was heading toward upper campus with his girlfriend when the TRAX train they were riding on began to slow down next to the Field House, then suddenly jolted to a complete stop.
From the window, Chebib, a sophomore in philosophy and biology, could see the driver’s side of the Subaru Outback crushed underneath the train on which they were riding. Having been trained in First Response, Chabib ran to help, he said.
A TRAX train hit a car going east on South Campus Drive on Monday around 8 p.m. after the driver attempted to turn left toward the University Campus Store on 1500 East. The silver Outback was dragged about 40 feet through the intersection, pressing most of the driver’s side beneath the train.
The driver of the car, who did not want to be identified, received lower back and left arm injuries, but signed a release so he would not be taken to a hospital, said Dee Rowland, a U Police Department officer. Rowland said the driver probably didn’t see the train coming and was likely at fault.
The driver said he was not a U student, but was trying to pick up his mother, who works on campus.
Ben Hale, an undecided freshman, was driving west with two friends toward the Sigma Chi house when they saw the accident take place. Hale said the driver jumped from the driver’s seat to the back of the vehicle during the crash.
“You could hear a crunch,” said Hale, who later called 911. “It was scary. I could see him freaking trapped in there.”
After the doors opened on the TRAX train, Chebib ran toward the driver, took off his shirt and wrapped it around the driver’s left elbow, which he said was “bleeding a lot.”
The driver could be seen stumbling as he walked toward a U Police vehicle for questioning. He appeared shaken and had blood on his clothes and face. He refused to comment about the accident, which is one of several TRAX collisions that have occurred this fall.
Tyler CobbFirefighters attend to the victim after a collision with Trax at the intersection of South Campus Drive and 1500 east.