Colusa train broadsides big rig Injured driver for cannery listed in good condition By Howard Yune/Appeal-Democrat August 31, 2007 - 12:22AM A truck driver was injured Thursday in Williams after a train broadsided his tractor-trailer at a rail crossing. Martin Cano, a 40-year-old driver for the Morning Star Packing tomato cannery, suffered a head injury and bleeding in the collision, according to police Sgt. Ed Anderson. Cano was flown by helicopter to the University of California, Davis, Medical Center in Sacramento, where a spokeswoman listed him in good condition. Police and a cannery manager said Cano, an Arbuckle resident, had delivered tomatoes around 1:30 p.m. to the Morning Star tomato paste plant on Old Highway 99W north of Ware Road. The driver was steering the 2004 International tractor, which was pulling two trailers, out of the cannery and back onto 99W when the engine of a southbound 14-car California Northern train struck the rig near the back of the first trailer. Williams and Arbuckle firefighters went to the crash scene and adminisatered first aid on Cano until an air ambulance arrived. Police closed 99W near the plant for about 90 minutes, Anderson said. The California Northern Railroad links Davis to Tehama County and closely parallels 99W. The driveway linking the road to the cannery is equipped with flashing signal lights but lacks cross-arms to block vehicles when a train passes. A two-piece swinging gate guards the entrance but is usually left open during the tomato harvest, according to Kathy Spence, a company office manager in Williams. Police interviewed the train conductor, Vincent Kerins, 40, but did not immediately charge or cite him. Appeal-Democrat reporter Howard Yune can be reached at 749-4708. You may e-mail him at hyune@appealdemocrat.com
