'Very Lucky' Driver Faces Charges After Train Clips His SUV In Oregon

Authorities say a Bend, Oregon man is "very lucky" to be alive after a freight train damaged his SUV Monday afternoon (November 8). That said, he was also charged in the incident, according to KTVZ.

The 32-year-old driver "wasn't paying attention" when he tried crossing a railroad track in the Juniper Acres area near milepost 132 of Highway 97, according to Deschutes County sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Brown. As a result, an oncoming train ended up clipping the front of the driver's SUV, authorities say.

The driver was inside the vehicle when the crash happened, but he was not hurt, Brown said.

A BNSF Railway spokesperson said the train was traveling at 50 mph when it "just barely grazed" the SUV. The tracks were shut down for a couple of hours during the investigation and inspection of the train and tracks, the spokesperson added.

Even though the driver survived the crash, he wasn't let off the hook. Authorities arrested him on a citation for reckless driving. They also cited him for driving with a suspended license and an uninsured vehicle. Reporters say he was released at the scene.

This wasn't the first time in Oregon where a vehicle tried to beat the train. Earlier this year, a big rig was caught on camera getting stuck at a railroad crossing. What came next didn't end well for the trailer attached to the vehicle.