2 Pedestrians Killed in One Day by Amtrak Trains

A man who may have been distracted by his stereo headset was struck and killed by an Amtrak train Monday night as he walked along railroad tracks near Old Town, authorities said.

The unidentified man was the second to be killed Monday by Amtrak commuter trains on the southbound route from Los Angeles. A welder who had just finished working on the tracks in Buena Park in Orange County died early Monday.

The victim in the latest accident was apparently walking with his back to the train when he was hit, San Diego Police Sgt. Michael Healey said.

The man, whose identity is unknown, was pronounced dead at the scene in the 2500 block of Morena Boulevard near the intersection of Ingulf Street, where there is no pedestrian thoroughfare, Santa Fe officials said.

The victim was dragged about 200 feet from the point of impact, during which he sustained major head and body injuries.

Police said they could not determine whether the man was unaware the train was coming or intended to commit suicide.

Investigators from the county medical examiner’s office were seeking help Tuesday to identify the victim. He is described as black, in his mid to late 20s, 5-foot-9, 220 pounds, wearing red sweat pants, a white sweat shirt with the words “Alamitos Bay,” a blue jacket and a Disneyland baseball cap, Robert Engel of the medical examiner’s office said.

The man carried no identification and may have been a transient, police said.

Amtrak spokesman Art Lloyd said the accident resulted from a railway “trespasser” who surprised the train’s engineer.

“By the time the headlight brought the man into focus, it was too late to stop the train,” Lloyd said. He estimated that the train was traveling less than 35 m.p.h. when it struck the man. The track speed limit for the area is 70 m.p.h.

A spokesman for Sante Fe Railroad said 10 pedestrians have died in train accidents in San Diego County since last October.

In all except Monday morning’s accident and another involving a toddler, the victims crossed illegally onto the tracks, Santa Fe spokesman Mike Martin said.

“No matter how many signs there are saying, ‘No Trespassing,’ people use the tracks as a path of convenience,” Martin said.

Since a rash of accidents in North San Diego county last October, Santa Fe, the National Transportation and Safety Board and local law enforcement groups have vigorously campaigned for safety awareness, Martin said.

“This is still all too common a scenario--people walking on the railroad tracks,” Martin said. “Nobody thinks a train accident is going to happen to them.”

In the Monday morning accident, Benjamin Duarte, 41, of Pomona, had just finished a spot-welding job on the tracks and had begun walking to his truck. Because of thick fog, the train’s engineer did not see Duarte until too late, Martin said.

According to Amtrak officials, dispatchers were given no notification of the work order for the southbound track, and the train’s crew took no additional safety precautions to allow for the workers.