Car struck by train after becoming immobilized on tracks, B.C. RCMP say

A freight train crashes into a car that was left immobilized on the tracks in Deroche, B.C., following a previous collision.

A car that was struck by a train in B.C.’s Fraser Valley on Sunday had become immobilized on the tracks before the collision, according to authorities.

Mission RCMP said the vehicle became trapped after hitting a signal pole at a railway crossing in the community of Deroche around 4 p.m.

The driver—an 18-year-old woman from Coquitlam—and her passenger were both uninjured, and managed to get out of the car safely before calling for help.

“Little more than a minute into the 911 call, a freight train then came through the crossing and struck the crashed car,” Mission RCMP said in a news release Monday.

“Fortunately, no injuries resulted from that collision either.”

The incident did force the closure of the Lougheed highway at North Deroche Road for an “extended period” on Sunday while crews removed the wreckage and confirmed the train was safe to move again.

Mission RCMP are investigating the incident, but said the initial crash appears to have happened because the car “took the corner too fast” and collided with the pole.

The detachment said any time a vehicle gets stuck at a rail crossing, the people inside should “immediately exit and move away” to safety.