Woman, Child Killed In Coachella Train Collision

A woman and a 3-year-old child were killed early Monday morning when a train hit a car at the intersection of Avenue 52 and Grapefruit in Coachella, investigators said.

The collision happened around midnight, when a 2007 Dodge Magnum approached the train tracks, and for unknown reasons did not stop, said Coachella Police Sgt. Dan Devinny.

Witnesses reported that warning lights were flashing and the barriers were down as her car sped through the crossing as the train passed.

The impact threw the red car at least 200 feet. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while paramedics performed CPR on the child, who was thrown from the car.

The boy was transported to a local hospital, where he died later in the morning.

The driver was identified Monday afternoon as 23-year-old Veronica Sarmiento, and the child was her 3-year-old son Christopher Carriere.

Investigators from the Coachella Police Dept., Riverside County Sheriff’s Dept. and the railroad were at the scene Monday morning trying to determine the cause of the accident. They were testing the warning arms that alert drivers of an on-coming train.

Railroad crews were also checking the train tracks for damage, which could affect trains scheduled to use that route later in the day.

Avenue 52 reopened late Monday morning.