Goodwill employee alerts officials to stop train headed toward stuck car
| Friday, Dec 04 2009 04:10 PM
Last Updated Friday, Dec 04 2009 04:11 PM
Jarred Kinnaird, a warehouse manager at the Goodwill store on Espee Street, knew something was wrong the night of Nov. 21 when he heard a strange noise outside.
It was a typical night until 2 a.m., when he heard a grinding noise. Kinnaird looked and saw a white SUV stuck on the railroad tracks near Sumner Street behind the store.
Kinnaird knew from experience that about eight to 10 trains come by those tracks every night, and it was only a matter of time before one came while a car was sitting there stuck.
He immediately dialed 911 and explained the situation.
"I was just trying to be a person," he said.
The dispatcher told him a police unit would be there shortly. But as soon as Kinnaird hung up the phone, he heard a train coming. He called 911 again and told the dispatcher what was happening. She said she could try to contact the train conductor to stop the train.
By that time, Kinnaird could see the car's occupants, a man and a woman, had exited the car. He was sure the train would not be able to stop in time, he said, but the 911 operator contacted the train conductor and the train stopped about 20 feet from where the car was stranded.
As it turns out, the driver of the stuck car was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, Bakersfield Police Detective Mary DeGeare said.
Tom Lange, director of corporate communications for the Western Region of Union Pacific, said a precise process is followed if Union Pacific is made aware of a car stranded on railroad tracks.
The police have a phone number to contact a dispatcher for Union Pacific, who will then locate the train and contact conductors to tell them to stop the train.
In addition, Lange said every railroad crossing has an emergency number the public can call to start the process of stopping a train.
Despite Kinnaird's efforts that night, he insists he is not a hero.
He credits another Goodwill employee who was with him at the time and the 911 dispatcher as helping him that night.
Randy Walker, vice president of administrative services at Goodwill, has worked with Kinnaird for several years.
"This typifies the kind of person Jarred is," he said.
Walker said a lot of people wouldn't have known what to do in Kinnaird's situation, but he kept his cool and did the right thing by calling 911.
