PLACENTIA – A man died when his vehicle was struck by a freight train Friday morning, authorities said.

The man, believed to be in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene after firefighters tried to free him from the wreck, said Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn.

The crash, involving a BNSF Railway freight train and a Toyota Corolla, occurred near Tustin and Orangethorpe avenues just before 8 a.m., Dunn said.

The sergeant said the freight train was headed east when it crashed into the Corolla, which was pushed for about a quarter mile along the tracks, and came to a stop east of Jefferson Street, Dunn said.

“The crash occurred in Anaheim, but the train stopped in Placentia,” Dunn said.

Firefighters and police from Anaheim, Fullerton and Placentia responded to the scene.

Metrolink, Amtrak and cargo trains travel on those tracks, Stone said, and officials have asked that all train traffic be stopped in the area. Traffic is expected to be impacted for several hours while authorities investigate the fatal accident.

Eastbound Orangethorpe is closed at Tustin Avenue and westbound Orangethorpe is closed at Van Buren Street.

Anaheim police investigators are trying to determine how the fatal accident occurred.

“We have not ruled out that he potentially crossed over the grade-crossing,” Dunn said.

Gary A Kessler has represented seriously injured victims of railroad accidents, train collisions, train derailment, train crashes and train versus automobile collisions (train derailment) as well as numerous public transportation cases.  In California, we have seen the massive expansion of the Metrolink as well as commuter train travel (BART, Metrolink, Amtrak, Cable Car, etc.).  Due to the increase of train travel we have also seen an increase in train crashes in the last decade.  This type of commuter train travel requires the Defendant (BART, Metrolink, Amtrak) to give you (the passenger) the “highest degree of care (i.e., safety)” since the defendant is a “common carrier”.  We at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler demand accountability and compensation for any lack of care, lapse in safety and injuries or damages you have sustained by obtaining compensation for your damages and injuries.

Besides injured victims traveling in trains, we see motorists killed in train collisions.  Additionally, trains carrying toxic chemicals have derailed and toxic chemicals have escaped into the atmosphere, injuring victims both on and off the train.

Train collisions and

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler is prepared to front all costs required for a thorough investigation and top expert witnesses to prepare for trial of your case.  As in all Public Transportation and serious personal injury cases, we advance all legal costs to prepare and present our client’s claim, and receive for our services only a percentage of what we recover for our attorney fees on their behalf.  Upon settlement our costs shall be reimbursed to us from the gross recovery.  If there is no recovery, no attorneys fees or costs are owed to our firm.  Contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today so we can preserve the evidence and demand compensation and accountability from the responsible parties!

If you have been seriously injured or a family member sustained fatal injuries involving a train (Metrolink, Amtrak, BART etc.) you need to contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler or another experienced law firm immediately to protect your legal rights and preserve the evidence.  Claims for damages against a public entity or governmental entity are very complex and they have “strict time limitations”.  So do not delay and contact the Law Offices Gary A Kessler today.