Quick-Thinking Police Officers Stop Train From Hitting Stalled Car on Tracks

RIVERSIDE, CA - A police helicopter crew was able to stop a train from ramming into a vehicle stopped on railroad tracks in Riverside.

A Riverside police helicopter was on patrol at 10:20 p.m. Saturday when the flight crew spotted a vehicle on the train tracks near Dewey Street and Carlo Drive, police said.

The crew realized that an oncoming westbound train was going to crash into the vehicle if they didn't intervene. The pilot flew towards the train and flashed the helicopter's spotlight to signal the train to stop, police said.

The train stopped about 40 feet away from the vehicle. Freight trains can take one mile or more to brake.

The driver -- who has not been publicly identified -- had stopped the vehicle onto the tracks and was standing nearby when police arrested them on suspicion of drunk driving, police said.

— By City News Service.  Image via Shutterstock.