Truck Veers Off I-5, Lands On Oceanside Train Tracks

OCEANSIDE, CA -- A pickup truck veered off Interstate 5 in Oceanside and onto the train tracks below, leaving the driver severely injured and Sprinter service suspended, authorities said.

A 41-year-old Vista man behind the wheel of a 2003 GMC Sierra apparently lost control of the truck while headed north on the freeway approaching the Oceanside Boulevard exit shortly before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The pickup went down an embankment, crossed the train tracks, then came to a halt after striking a concrete retaining wall alongside, California Highway Patrol Officer Jim Bettencourt said.

The driver suffered major injuries in the crash and was taken by ambulance to the Oceanside Airport, then airlifted to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, according to the officer.

The North County Transit District used buses to transport Sprinter passengers while the truck was blocking the tracks.

Bettencourt said the truck was hauled off the tracks by about 9:50 p.m. Wednesday.

By City News Service

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