DENVER – A man was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries Wednesday afternoon, police said, when his vehicle was hit by an RTD A Line train after he allegedly tried to cross the tracks when the crossing arms were lowered.
The crash happened just before 1 p.m. near the intersection of Smith Road and North Chambers Road in Aurora. All lanes were reopened just after 6:30 p.m.
Aurora police said late Wednesday afternoon the driver was turning northbound on Chambers from westbound Smith Road, and that the initial investigation “confirms that the driver disregarded the lowered level crossing signals as the train approached.”
An A-Line train that was headed eastbound toward the airport collided with the vehicle. Police said there were 43 people aboard the train at the time and that two of them were evaluated at the scene but not hospitalized.
The man driving the vehicle that collided with the train is in his 30s and is in critical condition after being taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.
Police said it is not known currently whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash.
APD’s traffic unit is investigating the crash and working with RTD to get video from the intersection to be sure crossing signals and lights and bells were working properly.
APD spokesperson Matthew Longshore said anyone who was a witness to the crash or has dashcam footage of it to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.