Pickup driver critical after Gold Line crash

A pickup driver remains in critical condition after colliding with a Metro Gold Line train in the Highland Park area, authorities said.

The accident happened at 7:54 a.m. in the 100 block of North Avenue 55, leaving the truck pinned between the Metro train and a concrete pillar. The southbound train crushed part of the truck bed.

The driver was briefly trapped but was conscious and alert when he was cut free and taken to a hospital, said Captain Rick Godinez, Los Angeles City Fire Department.

Four people on the train complained of neck and back pain, including four passengers, the train’s operator and a sheriff’s deputy, Metro spokesman Jose Ubaldo said, describing the injuries as minor.

The railroad track was closed in both directions while an investigation was conducted. About 50 passengers were aboard the train.

Source: Daily News wires