Horrified Motorists Watch Suicide on Train Tracks

In what authorities say appears to be a suicide, a man lay down on the tracks in front of a speeding southbound passenger train in Cardiff on Wednesday as several horrified motorists looked on.

The incident occurred shortly before 1 p.m. when the unidentified man, whom San Diego County sheriff’s deputies say was in his 50s or 60s, stepped onto the tracks just north of Birmingham Drive and Old Highway 101, ignoring the oncoming train’s persistent whistles.

Moments earlier, authorities say, the man had left his car in a nearby parking lot. Deputies at the scene said they discovered tentative identification, which they are withholding, in the car’s glove compartment, but could find no suicide note.

“Apparently he wasn’t on the tracks for a very long time,” said Deputy Pearl Janulewicz. “He didn’t go out there until he heard the train coming.”

The death is the latest in a rash of pedestrian fatalities involving trains in North County. Since October, eight people have died after being hit by trains, prompting officials to begin public-awareness and enforcement programs.

On Wednesday, several motorists waiting at a nearby traffic light watched as the train dragged parts of the man for more than half a mile before coming to rest on the tracks spanning nearby San Elijo Lagoon.

“I was sitting at the light lost in thought, observing life, when I saw this guy standing close to the tracks, semi-stooped over, staring at the tracks,” witness Steven Dellemann said. “Then I saw the train coming, and I thought, ‘This guy wants to experience the thrill of standing close to a train.’

“Suddenly, I realized that he wanted to kill himself,” Dellemann said. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw him lie down on the tracks. He laid down slowly and purposefully. The train conductor was blowing his whistle like mad. There’s absolutely no way he could have stopped.”

Volunteers from a county-run trauma service were dispatched to the intersection and helped at least two motorists deal with their shock.

The southbound Amtrak passenger train, which had made its last stop in Oceanside, was probably traveling more than 80 m.p.h., said Gene Curtis, an assistant superintendent of operations for the Santa Fe Railway.

He said trains running between Sorrento Valley and Santa Ana have a 90-m.p.h. limit, which is reduced in some areas. He said he did not know what the limit was in Cardiff, adding that speed restrictions change from day to day.

Curtis was came to San Diego from Orange County on Wednesday to attend an Operations Lifesavers Program at the San Diego Police Academy, which aims to educate patrol officers about the laws involving the trains’ right of way.

“This is very regretful,” he said at the roped-off scene, where the point of impact was marked by orange cones, and yellow sheets covered parts of the body. “This has an adverse effect on everyone. Nobody wants to see anyone hurt. It’s the type of thing that stays on a train conductor’s memory for the rest of his life.”

Curtis said a counseling program is available for conductors in such instances. And he repeated earlier warnings that a train’s right of way is a dangerous piece of property.

“The man was, in effect, trespassing,” Curtis said. “People should know that, if they’re on our property, they should expect to see trains.”