Updated Wednesday at 2pm with additional photos and information
A freight train owned by Union Pacific pulling seven cars collided with an agricultural water tank truck east of Pajaro around 3:15pm Tuesday.
According to North Monterey County Fire Div. Chief Rick Parker, the male driver of the truck suffered what appeared to be minor to moderate injuries, and was taken to a local hospital for observation.
The collision dragged the International truck, owned by Gonzalez-based Pinnacle Application, more than 1,500 feet, tore the engine clear of the truck and pitched it 50 feet from the tracks.
Parker said that Union Pacific dispatched a hazardous materials team to deal with as much as 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel spill. The cleanup took several hours, Parker said. The spill occurred between two agricultural fields where strawberries and celery are growing.
The impact happened where the rail tracks cross a narrow paved road that stems off of San Juan Road on the 1100 block.
Flying debris from the crash sprayed across a farmworker’s pickup that was parked near the track, causing extensive body and paint damage. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the crash.
The Pajaronian has reached out to Union Pacific for comment.
