Train splits vehicle in two, seriously injuring driver in Pierce County wreck
Update: Sumner city spokesperson Carmen Palmer said that crews reopened the crossing Monday night.
Initial post: A man in his 20s suffered serious injuries Monday morning when an Amtrak train hit his vehicle in Sumner, according to police.
The wreck happened about 10:30 a.m. at the Maple Street crossing, and the crossing was still closed as of 1:30 p.m.
“The vehicle basically split in two, and half the vehicle took out the crossing arm and the crossing signal,” city spokesperson Carmen Palmer told The News Tribune.
She said witnesses and footage indicate that the driver tried to go around the crossing arm. He was the only person in the vehicle, and East Pierce Fire and Rescue crews took him to Tacoma General Hospital, she said. She hadn’t heard any updates on his condition.
Palmer said the regional Metro Cities Major Collision Response Team is investigating, and that the city was waiting to hear from Burlington Northern Santa Fe about when it would be safe to reopen the crossing.
“Never try to push it at a crossing ahead of a train,” she said. “… It’s just not worth the extra minute.”
Sound Transit spokesperson David Jackson told The News Tribune it was a southbound Amtrak train that hit the vehicle. The wreck could cause “modest” delays for southbound Sounder trains this afternoon, he said. They’ll use platform two in Sumner instead of platform one, he said, due to damage from the crash.
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 2:03 PM.
