Authorities worked to clean up a large diesel spill and make repairs Thursday after a fatal collision between an Amtrak passenger train and a fuel truck in the western Santa Maria Valley.
The tanker truck was crossing the railroad tracks at an uncontrolled railroad crossing, without gates or lights to warn of oncoming trains, near Highway 1 and Brown Road.
It was hit by a northbound Coast Starlight train with about 260 passengers on board at 4:13 p.m. Wednesday, according to authorities.
The truck driver was transported to Marian Regional Medical Center with major injuries and three train passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said.
The driver, a Santa Maria man, died later at the hospital, said Santa Maria California Highway Patrol Officer Maria Barriga.
The Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau identified the deceased driver as Santiago Saucedo Sr., 58.
The CHP said the driver was traveling northbound on Highway 1 just north of Brown Road and turned right onto a dirt road which lead to an agricultural field. As the driver was traveling through the railroad crossing, the approaching train crashed into the right side of it, Barriga said.
Crash impact caused the truck to roll onto its side, rupturing the tanker and causing a fuel spill, she said.
The truck appeared to belong to Santa Maria-based Thompson and Harvey, according to the branding on the cab at the scene.
“This crash is a reminder to always slow down, look both ways, and be prepared to stop in a safe location for trains,” the CHP said in a statement.
“This is a tragic event and a reminder to all of us to exercise extreme caution when driving in agricultural rural areas, especially at uncontrolled railroad crossings. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the tanker truck driver which sadly lost his life.”
CHP officials said Thursday morning that Highway 1 was closed between Brown Road and West Main Street/Highway 166 because of clean-up efforts. All lanes were reopened around 4:30 p.m.
About 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel spilled onto the road, railroad tracks and nearby agricultural fields in the collision, and agencies coordinated a large hazardous materials response, the CHP said.
“After assessing the spill, it is estimated 3,500 gallons of diesel was discharged, but the fuel was contained near the train tracks and did not reach any nearby waterways,” said the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR).
“Partner agencies will conduct the clean-up and soil remediation. No visibly oiled wildlife observed,” OSPR said Thursday.
Caltrans District 5 said crews were working on highway repairs as well.
Trains Have Hit Vehicles in This Area Before
There have been several incidents of Amtrak trains hitting vehicles on the tracks in this area of the Santa Maria Valley in recent years.
In 2023, a woman was able to escape her car that got stuck on the tracks near Highway 1 and Brown Road before a train hit the vehicle.
Five years earlier in 2018, an Amtrak train hit a tanker truck hauling fertilizer as it crossed the tracks in this same area south of Guadalupe and west of Santa Maria.
No one was injured in that collision.
In 2014, a passenger train crashed into a large pickup truck on the tracks at a private railroad crossing near Highway 1 and Brown Road, and the driver had minor injuries.
September was Rail Safety Month for Amtrak and LOSSAN, the agency managing the Pacific Surfliner route between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
LOSSAN reported seven fatal collisions with trains between July 2025 and March 2025, including two pedestrians who were struck and killed on the tracks in Santa Barbara County this year.