Officials are studying a railroad crossing in Encinitas, CA, following an incident over the weekend when a car carrier got stuck on tracks and was struck by an Amtrak passenger train. The steeply sloped crossing located on Leucadia Boulevard off Coast Highway 101 is posted with signs warning truckdrivers of the danger of bottoming.

Driver Manuel Diaz of M and F Diaz Trucking stopped the truck, carrying one Cadillac, on the tracks. "He was unable to back the truck off the tracks because a vehicle was behind him," Sgt. Len Yurkus of the Encinitas Sheriff's Department railroad enforcement unit told Land Line. "Then the gates lowered, warning of an oncoming train, and the truckdriver jumped from the cab."

Amtrak spokesperson Liz O'Donoghue told news reporters that the train was going about 85 mph and was unable to stop before the engine smashed into the truck. Five passengers aboard the train were treated at hospitals and released. The incident delayed all train traffic between Los Angeles and San Diego for a few hours Saturday night.

Yurkus said the sign warning of a potential bottoming is only advisory and the truckdriver was not at fault. "He didn't do anything unlawful. It was just a bad judgment call."

Officials will reportedly look at the crossing and signage to see if they can be improved. The slope of the street where it crosses the tracks is steeper than would be allowed if the road were to be built today. The cost to correct the slope reportedly could be several million dollars.