Driver killed, woman hospitalized after train slams into vehicle south of Fresno

A train slammed into a vehicle Tuesday evening in Fresno County, killing the driver of the Nissan Versa and seriously injuring his female passenger.

The CHP said the crash took place just before 6 p.m. near Conejo and Peach avenues, east of Caruthers.

An Amtrack train with 1,300 passengers aboard was heading north and approaching a roadway crossing around the same time that the Nissan was traveling westbound of Conejo, according to CHP.

CHP’s initial investigation determined that the Nissan driver attempted to drive around railroad crossing arms.

As a result, the vehicle was struck by the train and knocked about 200 feet.

The train came to a stop about three-quarters of a mile away.

The driver died at the scene and the woman suffered life-threatening injuries. It was unclear whether alcohol or drugs were involved in the incident