Bicyclist Killed in Collision With Train

An Oceanside man was killed instantly Monday afternoon when he rode his bicycle into an Amtrak train, authorities said.

The bicyclist, identified as Brian Throckmorton, whose age was unknown but estimated at 36, apparently was listening to music on a portable headset and did not hear the northbound train as it crossed Cassidy Street about 1:30 p.m., said John Armendariz, an investigator for the San Diego County coroner’s office. Armendariz said that Throckmorton was riding toward the beach and did not look up when the train’s horn sounded.

“He must have had the volume turned up, because he never looked at the train,” Armendariz said.

Pat Kelly, an Amtrak spokeswoman, said that the lights at Cassidy Street, which is about a mile south of the Oceanside train station, were flashing as the train approached, but apparently Throckmorton did not see them. She said the train, the daily San Diegan bound for Los Angeles, stopped, but it was too late.

Kelly said she did not know how fast the train was going at impact. Throckmorton slammed into the second engine car at the front of the train, Armendariz said.

Todd Blake, an Amtrak rider who witnessed the accident, said it occurred about a block and a half from the beach in a residential area. Blake said the train was held up for about 45 minutes after the accident.

Because of numerous fatal accidents, the railroad tracks along the coast through northern San Diego County have been the target of recent criticism. Late last fall, four people were killed on those tracks in one month alone.

In Orange County, three people have been killed on railroad tracks so far this year.

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad has owned the tracks for decades but is now in the process of selling all its Southern California tracks to public and private agencies. Plans to lower or raise the tracks to keep people from crossing have been considered but rejected because of the cost, Santa Fe officials said.

Although many miles of tracks, particularly in northern San Diego County, are accessible to pedestrians, railway officials said, anyone who walks on or near the tracks is trespassing.