Uber passenger killed after driver runs red light and car gets hit by train
A passenger in an Uber was killed after the driver ran a red light and collided with an oncoming train.
The driver, who has not yet been named, was taken into custody after hitting a TRAX light rail train in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Their car was ‘clipped’ by the oncoming train after it ran a red light just before 8am on Wednesday.
The car, a grey Chevrolet, was going about 40 mph. It was carrying one person, who was seated in the back seat.
When the two vehicles collided, the car’s right side took most of the damage. All of the airbags deployed, but the passenger still succumbed to their injuries.
No passengers onboard the train were injured, but the Utah Transit Authority announced significant service delays after the accident.
‘You’ll never beat a train, a train is always faster than a car,’ Utah Transit Authority spokesperson James Larson told Fox 13. ‘The hard thing, I think, with rideshare is that a lot of times they rely on their GPS. And all it takes is that split second of them looking down at their phone.’
Larson also said it takes Salt Lake City’s light rail trains about 1.5 miles to come to a stop. ‘If you’re approaching a light and it turns yellow, please slow down,’ he said.
‘Our hearts are wit the rider’s loved ones during their time of mourning,’ Uber stated. ‘We have deactivated the driver, and we stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.’
This is not the first incident of a rideshare passenger death this year. In July, an ex-staffer for former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was killed by an oncoming car after his Lyft driver kicked him and some other passengers out of the ride in the middle of a highway.
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