Traffic and train delays in Rohnert Park after SUV crash near train tracks

An SUV crashed into towers supporting a railroad crossing arm on Tuesday afternoon on Rohnert Park Expressway, badly injuring the driver and causing major delays to motor and rail traffic, authorities said.

The busy intersection just east of State Farm Drive was closed for two hours after the 2:58 p.m. crash, which toppled the tower and the crossing arm, as well as the flashing lights that alert motorists at such intersections.

With the crossing arm knocked out, SMART rail traffic was delayed by as much as 30 minutes. Employees of the rail line were staffing the intersection with flags to manually direct passing trains.

The SUV was headed east on Rohnert Park Expressway when it smashed into the tower, Rohnert Park police officials said.

Personnel with the city’s Public Safety Department, which includes firefighters, pulled the driver from the vehicle, which by that point had caught fire, officials said.

The 21-year-old driver, Damien Phang of Rohnert Park, sustained major injuries and was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital where he was in stable condition, said Aaron Johnson, a deputy chief at the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety. No other people were in the car or were injured in the crash, he said.

Jeanne Mariani-?Belding, a spokeswoman for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit agency, confirmed that the crossing gate had been damaged.

“At first there were 30-minute delays but we are hoping to get back on schedule very shortly,” she said.

The train resumed its normal schedule by ?5:40 p.m, she said.

Since the railroad tower was completely ruined, Johnson said flaggers are stationed at the intersection to safely direct the trains.

“That tower flashes red lights and has the arms so it is vital to the safety of that crossing,” Johnson said. “If the flaggers were not available the train could not operate.”

Repairs to the tower are expected to take days, he said.

All roads have reopened except one eastbound lane between State Farm and Country Club drives, police said. Drivers are being warned to avoid the area as they clean up the debris.

Officers are still investigating the cause of the accident.

You can reach Staff Writer Alexandria Bordas at 707-521-5337 or alexandria.bordas@pressdemocrat.com.