Train derailments and property damage are serious business, but if they’re paired with the right music and a cast of stunned characters, they can be sort of funny. I know, I feel bad about it, too. Just watch this video posted to TikTok. You’ll see what I mean.
What we’ve got here is pretty much a live capture of a train derailment. We watch — along with our very gifted cameraperson — a couple of tanker cars rumbling through the downtown section of Sonora, California. The 54-second video starts with the tank hitting a red Chevy Avalanche. You’d almost think it was the Avalanche’s fault from the start.
Then you see the mayhem unfold. The camera pans to more cars smashed and townspeople looking shocked at what they find. It then whips back over to capture the train cars destroying a railroad crossing signal in dramatic fashion and coming to a rest.
That’s when our Scorcese-esque cinematographer and her driver turn left and head down the path of destruction. We get to see even more crashed cars and their owners who look, well, like a train just flew past them. The video ends with a quick shot of a man standing where the derailment first happened, surveying the ruined track and street with a bewildered look on his face.
It’s important to note that this entire video is backed up by Soul Asylum’s 1993 hit “Runaway Train.” It’s almost like this song was made with the express purpose of ending up in this video 31 years later. It’s sort of beautiful in that way, isn’t it?
If you’re wondering what exactly happened here other than what’s in the TikTok, KCRA NBC 3 broke down the January 20 incident:
A train derailed in downtown Sonora on Friday morning, damaging several cars and blocking a busy roadway all day. There were no reports of injuries.
The derailment happened after 9 a.m. at Washington Street and Hospital Road.
Several parked cars were hit and the train cars also smashed into a crossing gate, taking it out.
[…]
The train was operated by Northern Sierra Railway. Its president said the train was carrying lumber and four back cars that usually carry fuel but were empty. The company’s president couldn’t share the cause of the derailment at this time because it’s still under investigation.
I cannot say for sure why it took this TikTok user over a month to post the video, but I can only assume it’s because they were looking for the perfect song to accompany it. And, dammit, did they find it.