Uber driver dies after train hits vehicle stuck on tracks in Duluth

An Uber driver is dead after an SUV got stuck on a railroad crossing and was hit by a train Thursday morning, police said.

Duluth police were called to the railroad tracks near South Peachtree and Hardy streets, just in front of the public library, around 5:30 a.m. and found a Nissan Pathfinder partly down an embankment, police spokesman Officer Ted Sadowski said.

The victim, 39-year-old Guangyun Jin, and an Uber passenger were in the vehicle when it got stuck on the tracks, Sadowski said. But “the passenger saw the train coming and told the driver, ‘I’m out of here,’” he added.

The passenger got out of the vehicle, but Jin stayed behind trying to get it off the tracks, according to Sadowski.

The train operator noticed the SUV and immediately activated the emergency stopping system while signaling with the horn, but the driver didn’t exit the vehicle and was ultimately hit on the driver’s side, a news release states.

Uber said the company has been in touch with the rider, and they are working to reach the driver’s family.

“We’re deeply saddened by this tragic accident,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the driver’s family during this extremely difficult time.”

The train pushed the SUV about 200 yards before it fell partly down the embankment, Sadowski said.

No one but the driver of the SUV was injured in the predawn collision, according to Duluth police.

Karen Harris works at the Rexall Grill on the other side of the tracks from the library and said she is used to the loud rumble of passing trains.