Oakland

2 Critically Injured After Amtrak Train Strikes Truck Near Brentwood

Two people were transported to a hospital in critical condition after an Amtrak train struck a truck, sending it into a body of water outside of Brentwood Thursday afternoon, Amtrak and Contra Costa County fire officials said.

Authorities responded around 2:45 p.m. to a report of a collision between a train and vehicle on Orwood Road, Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said.

Graham said none of the crewmembers or 145 passengers aboard Amtrak No. 713 reported any injuries. The train originated in Bakersfield and was bound for Oakland, she said.

A Contra Costa County Fire Protection District dispatcher said two people from outside the train were transported to John Muir Medical Center with critical injuries.

A witness said the driver stopped the truck moments before he was hit by the train while pulling his jet ski out of the water near the Orwood Resort, a boat launch and docks in the Delta between Brentwood and Discovery Bay.

The truck flew into the water, hitting a woman floating on a raft, according to the witness.

Kevin Sadler, a construction worker nearby who rushed to help after the collision, said people since June have been using a road marked "No Trespassing" and "Private Property" to get to the water.

A passenger on the train, Russell Bierle, said he didn't feel the impact of the truck, but he did see it sinking slowly into a body of water adjacent to the train.

The tracks run through an area bisected by tributaries and canals.

The train had just crossed over a bridge when it struck the vehicle, Bierle said.

He saw someone run to help a person in the truck and heard an announcement saying someone had been seriously injured.

NBC Bay Area's Chuck Coppola contributed to this report.

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