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ANAHEIM – Two brothers in a BMW were apparently trying to skirt train crossing gates while rushing to the airport when a freight train slammed into the car in its path, critically injuring both men, police said.

The 3,700-ton Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway train collided with the 2007 335i BMW just after 7:20 a.m. at Orangethorpe and Tustin avenues, demolishing the car and trapping the two brothers inside. The BMW weighs 3,582 pounds.

The train was traveling 45 to 50 mph, said Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez, a normal speed for BNSF trains in that area. It takes about a mile for a train that size and speed to stop.

According to Martinez, the initial investigation indicates the 27-year-old driver was headed east on Orangethorpe Avenue alongside the eastbound train when he suddenly turned right on Tustin Avenue and directly into the path of the freight train. Witnesses said the crossing arms were either down or going down, according to Martinez.

“We believe it tried to go under the crossing arm and then it got hit by the train,” Martinez said. Dark color paint was found underneath the crossing arm that could be from the BMW, Martinez said. If the paint turns out to be from the BMW, it could indicate the gate came down on top of the BMW as the car was trying to cross in front of the oncoming train.

“That would be consistent with what we’re hearing,” Martinez said.

The train had four engines and was carrying 56 cars. The impact shattered the crossing arms and the railroad signal light, Martinez said.

The 37-year-old passenger was pulled from the mangled vehicle with the help of some of the 25 firefighters called to assist. Both men were rushed to UCI Medical Center in critical condition, said Capt. Greg McKeown of the Orange County Fire Authority.

The brothers appeared to be in a hurry to get to an airport, Martinez said. The identity of the men is being withheld until relatives are notified of their injuries, he said.

The crash is the latest in a series of train-related accidents in the area.

On December 29, a father watched as he 15-year-old daughter was struck and killed by a freight train in Fullerton after she walked in its path. The train threw her nearly 100 feet, according to police.

On November 5, a man and his son walking near the train tracks near the train depot at North Harbor Boulevard and West Santa Fe Avenue were struck and killed by a BNSF train.

The conductor tried to sound the horn, but it was too late.

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