3 Killed, 1 Hurt as Train and Car Collide : Chatsworth: A driver ignores flashing lights at a crossing and apparently tries to beat a locomotive carrying holiday travelers.

Three people were killed and one youth was critically injured Friday when a driver apparently tried to beat a passenger train carrying holiday travelers through a railroad crossing in Chatsworth, authorities said.

Witnesses said the driver of the car ignored flashing red lights and swerved around two cars already stopped at the crossing.

The train struck the car shortly before 11 a.m. as it moved across the tracks on Lassen Street, a block west of Canoga Avenue, police said.

“The driver crossed the double yellow lines and was on the wrong side of the road,” said Los Angeles Police Detective Anthony Bartolotto. “The train was going about 50 m.p.h. and the car was moving at about 45 m.p.h.”

Bartolotto said in addition to the flashing signals, the train had sounded its horn shortly before crossing the intersection. “I believe the driver must have known the train was coming,” he said.

The victims, all males, were not identified pending notification of relatives, police said. A male minor who was in the car was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition after surgery, hospital spokeswoman Deborah Moore said.

Authorities said about 450 passengers, many of them holiday travelers, were aboard the Amtrak Coast Starlight bound for San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. It was delayed for 1 1/2 hours before heading to its next stop in Simi Valley.

Tammy Gray, 21, was stopped at the crossing when the car, a blue 1980 Chevette, passed her. “They looked like they were trying to beat the train, and they didn’t,” she said. “You could see the train was coming.”

Mace Lawrence, 32, was in his van on the other side of the tracks waiting for the train to pass when he saw the car appear at the moment of impact.

“There’s was no time to do anything,” Lawrence said. “You saw the people, then you saw them die.”

Another witness, Jim Anker, said the car “just flew” after being hit by the train.

“It was unbelievable,” Anker said. “I had just drove up when the car was right on the track and got hit. There was no reason for the car to be there.”

The impact ejected the car’s passengers. The car, smashed nearly beyond recognition, landed about 50 feet from the intersection.

Police said identification of the victims by the county coroner could take some time because of the intensity of the crash.

Amtrak officials said the train had two engines pulling six passenger cars, two sleeping cars, two baggage cars and two service cars.

Ron Perkins, the train’s on-board service chief, said there were more passengers than usual because of the Christmas holidays.

“Most of everyone aboard is heading home for the holidays,” Perkins said.

Train conductor P.J. McNamara said neither he nor the passengers felt the collision. “I knew there was something wrong when we started braking,” he said.