PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A pickup truck and its trailer ended up on opposite sides of a railroad track after a collision with a train in Northeast Portland's Argay Neighborhood Tuesday morning, authorities said.
According to Portland Fire and Rescue, the driver of the pickup truck was attempting to merge near Northeast Sandy Boulevard, a major thoroughfare, and Northeast 141st Avenue. The pickup got stuck waiting for a gap in traffic to merge, with the extended trailer on the train tracks.
Rick Graves, a Portland Fire and Rescue spokesperson, said it's important to never rush in front of a train and to always err on the side of caution when it comes to staying behind the white line and guardrails that are in front of train tracks.
"You should always edge in on the side of caution and never cross over the tracks if you’re unable to get completely over with whatever the length of your vehicle is," Graves said.
In this case, Graves said he doesn't think the driver was necessarily "trying to race around and get in front of the train," they just ended up getting stuck in a merge lane at the wrong time.
"And if you see something like this with an individual with a long, extended trailer that’s hanging over tracks and he’s trying to merge into traffic, be cool, let him in," he added.
Graves said the train was able to resume operations later that afternoon.
