In Rohnert Park on Friday, February 4th around 4:15 p.m. the SMART train crashed into a car that had driven onto the tracks. The driver supposedly drove through the lowered gate that was blocking cars from entering the tracks. The westbound driver was believed to be under the influence at the time. There were no reported injuries or fatalities. Golf Course Drive, where the crash occurred, was shut down until 5:30 pm that night.

When the crash occurred, many SA students were on the train making their usual journey home. SA freshman, Maja Mieritz, commented about her experience when the crash first occurred, “One second everything was completely normal and then all of a sudden there was a small impact and a bunch of rumbling.” She  automatically knew the really loud screechy crunching sound was different from the usual rumbling the train makes.

Freshman Cat Weber Sanguinetti commented, “Since I don’t usually take the train, I didn’t realize something was wrong until I saw my friend looking really scared. Since we were seated in one of the back cars I didn’t feel the impact but we all heard the loud sounds.”

After waiting on the train for about 40 minutes, passengers were escorted off the train and onto the side of the tracks. Buses were sent to collect passengers and take them to the next train stations. SA students then made their way home safely.

Only one other SMART train crash has occurred similar to this accident. Back in October 2021, a minivan with a driver who was also suspected to be under the influence crashed into the SMART train.