Rescuers had to use a "jaws of life" tool to remove the driver of a silver Hyundai Sonata that was hit by a train on Saturday near the University of Southern California. The car driver is in a grave condition, while the train driver has serious injuries.

Both the car and the train were moving eastward on Exposition Boulevard when the Hyundai turned in front of the train, which hit the Sonata. The impact caused the lead car to dislodge from the track as it wedged against the pole, said authorities.

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After the train hit the Hyundai, it derailed into a major street and injured 21 people. The car was pinned against a pole alongside the tracks. Reuters reports that it was crumpled and unrecognizable.

Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Donald Frazeur said 19 of the 21 injured had minor injuries but 10 of them were sent to the hospital for treatment, along with the two who are seriously injured. To provide medical assistance to the injured victims, the emergency responders set up a triage are at the lawn in front of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

An investigation would find out the train's speed at the time of the collision, which should be around 35 mph. As a result of the accident, Exposition Boulevard was closed in both directions.

The Saturday accident adds to the growing list of car-train collisions across the U.S. the past few months. Prior to this one, the last was in February when an LA-bound Metrolink train collided with a pickup truck. The collision caused the train, which had three double-decker car to flip over, while the truck was torn apart. Approximately 50 people were injured in that accident.

Tagsrail accident, Los Angeles, Metro Expo, USC