Tragedy struck two times in rapid succession this past week in Escalon with a fatal train vs. pedestrian collision on Wednesday afternoon around 1:45 p.m. followed by a two-vehicle fatal crash along Highway 120 west of the city just after 4 p.m.

The first incident on May 7 was the train vs. pedestrian collision, with the fatal victim identified by the San Joaquin County Coroner’s Office as Paul Lopez, 63, of Escalon.

Escalon Police said there was a freight train in the area and witnesses said it appeared as though the victim went around the downed crossing arms and though he was not hit by the freight train, he was struck by an oncoming Amtrak train.

With the incident occurring just before school was to get out for the afternoon, Escalon Police quickly reached out to school district personnel to alert them to the situation and the investigation, requiring some re-routing of busses and officials working to make sure students walking home from school did not go past the scene.

“The unfortunate train vs. pedestrian incident was something that we wanted to be mindful of and we worked closely with our partners at the City of Escalon during the incident,” shared Escalon Unified School District Superintendent Ricardo Chavez. “When we received information of road closures, we sent a message through our parent communication portal to advise our families of road closures, possible delays with bus routes and asked families to consider alternative routes. The District was also able to pull site administration from other school sites in addition to Escalon High School and El Portal Middle School administration to assist in directing pedestrian traffic, especially our students, away from the train scene where the investigation was taking place after school. The District wanted to ensure the safety of our students while also keeping their mental health needs in mind.”

The collision investigation itself was turned over to Amtrak Police, though Escalon Police, Escalon Fire and Escalon Community Ambulance crews were on scene in addition to Escalon Public Works.

The second fatality occurred when a westbound vehicle on Highway 120, for an unknown reason, veered in to the eastbound lane near Sexton Road and collided head on with a hay squeeze. Authorities said the driver of the SUV, identified by the Coroner’s Office as Glenda Mancilla Larios, 38, of Escalon, was deceased at the scene. Two minors in her vehicle – a girl and a boy – reportedly suffered major injuries and the driver of the farm equipment had to be extricated from the vehicle and was also taken to the hospital with major injuries. Names and ages of the others involved were not readily available from the CHP.

A GoFundMe started by the family of Glenda Mancilla Larios had surpassed its original $15,000 goal; raising $18,795 as of press time with over 170 donations.

Emergency crews and the California Highway Patrol were on scene of that two-vehicle fatal collision and a portion of the roadway was shut down for a few hours during the investigation Wednesday, detoured around the scene.

“It was all hands on deck,” Escalon Police Sergeant Nathaniel Vieira said of the back-to-back fatal incidents. “We had fire, EMS, police, the school district … incidents were both inside and outside the city limits but people were willing, ready and able to come to our aid; it was a true testament to cooperation.”

Chavez added that the school district also worked to address student and staff needs in the aftermath of the fatal crash on the highway, which involved one student from Dent Elementary and one from Collegeville Elementary, passengers in the SUV.

“District Office administration worked closely with our site leaders and mental health team to deploy resources to impacted school sites the following morning, post accidents,” Chavez explained. “We shared related resources and were prepared to support our students and staff. I am grateful for our community who always works together, especially during challenging times.”

Escalon Fire and Escalon Community Ambulance were on scene of the Highway 120-Sexton crash; Farmington Fire Department personnel provided station coverage for Escalon and responded to a separate accident reported at Lone Tree and Brennan while providing coverage. That two-vehicle collision was a big rig vs. a passenger car and Farmington Fire Chief Matt Bailey said one person was pinned in the passenger vehicle, with a foot stuck, but was extricated quickly with relatively minor injuries.