Car falls off tow truck on I-580 in Castro Valley, flies onto BART tracks
By Carlos E. Castañeda
A vehicle broke free from a tow truck on Interstate Highway 580 in Castro Valley and onto the BART tracks on Tuesday, blocking highway traffic and BART service on the Blue Line between the Castro Valley and Dublin/Pleasanton stations.
BART alerted about the obstruction on the tracks just after 3 p.m. The California Highway Patrol said the unoccupied black Hyundai coupe was on a flatbed tow truck heading west on Highway 580 when it fell off and led to a crash with two other vehicles, resulting in “major injuries.”
The CHP said all lanes of westbound Highway 580 were blocked at the location above Five Canyons Parkway, just south of E. Castro Valley Boulevard. The number 1 lane of eastbound 580 was also blocked. By 4:15 p.m., three westbound lanes of I-580 were reopened, but afternoon commute traffic in both directions was backed up for miles.
The Hyundai was lodged in the westbound trackway, and there was visible damage to the track and the electric third rail. The vehicle managed to fly across an approximate 20-foot gap between the elevated highway and BART tracks, which are about 25 to 30 feet above the ground.
It was unclear how many people were injured, the CHP said.
Alameda County Fire Department spokesperson Cheryl Hurd said the crash sparked a brush fire and that one person was taken to a hospital in an unknown condition.
A crane eventually lifted the vehicle off the trackway about 2.5 hours after the crash. As of 5:52 p.m., BART said service on the Blue Line had resumed with a major delay between Castro Valley and West Dublin/Pleasanton stations as trains were single-tracking around the crash site.
BART said major repairs to the damaged portion of the track would take place after the end of service Tuesday night. Spokesperson Chris Filippi said repair work continued overnight into Wednesday morning and trains were still single-tracking between Castro Valley and West Dublin/Pleasanton stations.
