Drunken driver’s actions may have saved him, police say

A drunken driver inadvertently stopped a train from hitting him when he drove over the tracks near Second Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Spokane early Wednesday, according to Washington State Patrol.
Jared D. Reynolds, 21, may have taken a wrong turn when he drove over the tracks and came to a rest on a railroad switch, troopers said. That switch, which controls which trains go on which track, shorted out, automatically stopping any approaching trains.
Troopers arrived to find Reynolds still in the vehicle, with its wheels spinning, according to WSP.
Reynolds, who troopers said lives on Fairchild Air Force …

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A drunken driver inadvertently stopped a train from hitting him when he drove over the tracks near Second Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Spokane early Wednesday, according to Washington State Patrol.

Jared D. Reynolds, 21, may have taken a wrong turn when he drove over the tracks and came to a rest on a railroad switch, troopers said. That switch, which controls which trains go on which track, shorted out, automatically stopping any approaching trains.

Troopers arrived to find Reynolds still in the vehicle, with its wheels spinning, according to WSP.

Reynolds, who troopers said lives on Fairchild Air Force Base, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was released from Spokane County Jail on his own recognizance later that day, jail records show.

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