Two Weber County men escape as train smashes stalled truck

Two Weber County men bailed out of a stalled pickup truck just in time, avoiding death or injury as a Union Pacific freight train reduced their vehicle to twisted wreckage.

Weber County Sheriff's Sgt. Scott Johnson said Wednesday that the men, both in their 20s, were driving down a dirt road about 8:20 p.m. Tuesday in West Warren adjacent to the train tracks near 8200 West when the truck became stuck as they attempted to turn around.

With the train approaching and unable to dislodge the truck's rear wheels from the tracks, the two jumped out. The train struck the pickup at about 40-50 mph, spraying wreckage along the one mile it took for the train to come to a halt.

"There wasn't much left of the truck. They were very lucky," Johnson said. "The tracks there were closed down for a couple hours, but the good news is that there were no injuries."

The accident remained under investigation. Authorities said it was possible the two men could face trespassing-related charges for being on Union Pacific property without permission.

remims@sltrib.com