A driver suffered major injuries after his van was hit by a train in south Sacramento early Friday morning.The collision happened at the Elder Creek Road train crossing just before 2:45 a.m.The white Ford van was hit and pushed several hundred feet down the tracks before it went down an embankment and came to rest in a large puddle of mud.The Sacramento Fire Department said it had to use power tools to pry the driver's side door open and remove the vehicle's dash from the man's legs.The driver was taken to an area hospital where he was in serious condition Friday morning but expected to survive significant injuries, according to police.It is unclear why the van was on the tracks when it was hit. The crossing guards were down on both sides of Elder Creek Road.It took the train nearly a quarter-mile to come to a complete stop after the collision.The train was also blocking Florin Road to the south while officers conducted their investigation alongside Union Pacific Railroad officers.The train cleared the area, and roads reopened just before 5 a.m.

A driver suffered major injuries after his van was hit by a train in south Sacramento early Friday morning.

The collision happened at the Elder Creek Road train crossing just before 2:45 a.m.


The white Ford van was hit and pushed several hundred feet down the tracks before it went down an embankment and came to rest in a large puddle of mud.

The Sacramento Fire Department said it had to use power tools to pry the driver's side door open and remove the vehicle's dash from the man's legs.

The driver was taken to an area hospital where he was in serious condition Friday morning but expected to survive significant injuries, according to police.

It is unclear why the van was on the tracks when it was hit. The crossing guards were down on both sides of Elder Creek Road.

It took the train nearly a quarter-mile to come to a complete stop after the collision.

The train was also blocking Florin Road to the south while officers conducted their investigation alongside Union Pacific Railroad officers.

The train cleared the area, and roads reopened just before 5 a.m.