How did a car fly onto Castro Valley BART train tracks? What we know

CASTRO VALLEY, Calif. - A car flew off the bed of a tow truck and landed on BART train tracks in Castro Valley Tuesday afternoon following a crash on Interstate 580, authorities said.

The bizarre chain reaction crash incident happened around 2:54 p.m. along westbound I-580 east of Castro Valley Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Hayward division.

Car goes airborne

What we know:

CHP Officer Daniel Rodriguez said the initial collision involved a red Chevy pickup truck and a tow truck carrying an unoccupied sedan. The impact sent the towed vehicle flying and onto nearby BART tracks, which run between the eastbound and westbound lanes and sit slightly elevated above the freeway.

The tow truck driver suffered major injuries and was hospitalized. The pickup driver was not hurt.

BART service between Castro Valley and Dublin was temporarily stopped during the evening rush hour but later restored.

A large crane-like device called a rotator was brought in Tuesday evening to lift the sedan off the tracks.

"They used special equipment...with that they were able to — kind of like a crane — go left and right," Rodriguez said. "They were able to grab that vehicle safely and bring it over to the freeway where they loaded it up onto a flatbed truck."

CHP has not yet determined the cause of the crash.

Pickup driver recounts moment of impact

What they're saying:

On Wednesday, the red pickup driver, Rolando Gonzalez, said he was heading home from his girlfriend’s house in Dublin and taking his usual route on westbound I-580.

Gonzalez said he was in the far-left lane when the crash occurred.

"I was just driving, minding my business, and all of a sudden, I don’t remember exactly what happened at the moment of impact. I know I got hit," he said.

He recalled hearing the sound of glass shattering as it came into the cab.

"I just slammed on the brakes," he said. "Everything else happened afterwards."

Gonzalez maneuvered his truck to the shoulder and checked his surroundings.

"I was fine," he said. "That's when I look at my side view mirror, my rear mirror, and I see the guy in the tow truck."

He said the driver was on the ground outside the tow truck but conscious. Gonzalez and passersby tended to the man.

When Gonzalez looked again, he saw the towed car sitting on the BART tracks.

CHP has not said whether the tow truck driver was ejected, but confirmed he suffered major injuries.

Gonzalez said he was in shock immediately after the crash and did not feel pain until the next day.

Questions remain about how car reached tracks

What we don't know:

Gonzalez said he still doesn’t understand how the towed sedan ended up on the BART tracks.

"I didn't know there was a gap there," he said. "I thought it it just went over the railing until I seen the gap — and it was a pretty big gap. I was confused as to how a vehicle that's supposed to be mounted and well-secured can go that far onto the tracks."

Despite the incident, Gonzalez said he is grateful the crash wasn’t worse.

"I’m glad to still be here. I am thankful to God," he said. "It happened. I just gotta move on, live with it, and see where life takes me."

Investigation ongoing

Rodriguez said Wednesday the crash remains under investigation.

Both the tow truck driver and Gonzalez are cooperating with CHP.