Police/Caltrain Teamwork Help Avoid a Tragedy

The Caltrain board has saluted the quick thinking and teamwork of railroad and Mountain View Police Department employees for helping to avert a potential tragedy on the rails.

The incident that prompted a commendation from the Caltrain board March 6 involved a police officer and two Mountain View police dispatchers, who relayed word to two Caltrain employees in time to stop a train from striking a car stuck on the tracks.

In commending the five individuals, Caltrain Executive Director Mike Scanlon said what could have been a tragedy was "a good news story" thanks to their exceptional teamwork.

On the night of Feb. 26, Mountain View Police officer Kevin Solomon received a 911 call that a vehicle was immobilized on the Caltrain tracks at Rengstorff Avenue. The 16-year-old driver had apparently made a wrong turn onto the tracks and her vehicle got stuck.

En route to the scene, Solomon noticed that a northbound train was leaving the Mountain View Caltrain Station and called police dispatchers Tammy Smith and Teresa Strickland to alert Caltrain's communications headquarters.

In San Jose, Keith McInerney, manager of Caltrain's commuter operations, put out an emergency broadcast. Engineer Jim Smith, who was at the controls of northbound Train 91, heard it and immediately applied the brakes.

Smith said his train was traveling perhaps 50 miles an hour when he heard the call. The train came to a stop about two train car lengths behind the stopped car, close enough for him to observe the frightened driver at the wheel.

Back in San Jose, McInerney said dispatchers were elated that a potential tragedy was averted, and thanked Officer Solomon and the department on their behalf.

This is the second time in two months that Caltrain's board has recognized individuals for helping to avoid tragedies. Recently, two passengers and two Sunnyvale Public Safety officers were honored for their life-saving help in two separate incidents.

Caltrain urges people who want to report a rail emergency or see suspicious activity to call 1.877.SAF-RAIL.