(The Ventura County Star posted the following article on its website on September 14.)
OXNARD, Calif. — A Metrolink train struck an abandoned car Tuesday on railroad tracks between Oxnard and Camarillo, stopping train service in the area for about four hours.
No one was injured in the 6 a.m. crash near Wood Road and Fifth Street, and the train did not derail, Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell said.
Service returned to normal by 10 a.m. after a crane was used to remove the Mercury Cougar from underneath the train.
“It appears the vehicle got stuck on the track,” said Steve Reid, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. “There was no obvious evidence that the vehicle was placed there intentionally, but it is still under investigation.”
Authorities late Tuesday had not yet located the car’s owner.
About 30 passengers and two crew members were on the eastbound train, Tyrrell said. They were sent back to the Oxnard station after the crash.
Passengers at stations in Camarillo, Oxnard and Montalvo were told Metrolink’s three morning trains had been cancelled and were directed to the Moorpark station.
In January, a train struck a sport utility vehicle parked on tracks in Glendale, killing 11 people. Authorities believe the SUV was placed there intentionally.
“The difference between a tragedy like in Glendale and a mere inconvenience like this morning can be inches,” Tyrrell said Tuesday.
Anyone forced to abandon a vehicle on train tracks or who sees a vehicle on the tracks should notify authorities immediately, she said.