Boy, 10, Playing on Rail Trestle Killed by Train

A 10-year-old boy was struck and killed by an Amtrak train Wednesday while playing on a railroad trestle in Santa Ana with his two brothers and a friend, police said.

The victim was identified as James Boyle of Orange. James’ two brothers, Kevin, 8, and Danny, 13, and their 11-year-old friend, Jeremy McDaniels, were not injured, police said.

James was struck by the southbound Amtrak train about noon as it headed to San Diego from Los Angeles. The accident occurred about 2 miles south of the Santa Ana Amtrak station, officials said. There were about 400 passengers on the train.

The boys had been playing on a trestle over Santiago Creek and two of them were able to jump off the bridge in time, according to Santa Ana police spokeswoman Maureen Thomas. The third boy leaned against the trestle’s steel railing and was able to avoid being hit, she said.

Thomas said it was unclear how fast the train was going and whether the engineer saw the boys. The train stopped about 400 feet after the boy was struck, she said. Blood samples were taken from the engineer as a matter of routine, but there was no indication that he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, she said.