SIMI VALLEY : Man Dies After Being Hit By Amtrak Train
A 26-year-old Simi Valley man who crouched in the path of a speeding Amtrak train died early Saturday of injuries he suffered after being struck by the locomotive, a Ventura County coroner’s spokesman said.
The coroner ruled that James Strout’s death was a suicide, said Deputy Coroner Mitch Stevens.
Strout had been walking with a friend along the railroad tracks about 8 p.m. Friday when he reportedly said “Watch this” and crouched on the tracks in the path of the train, a Simi Valley Police Department spokesman said. His friend tried to get him off the tracks, but Strout refused to move, the spokesman said. The eastbound train was traveling about 60 m.p.h. when it hit Strout, severing his arm, he said.
Strout was taken to Simi Valley Hospital, where doctors were unable to save him, a hospital spokeswoman said. He died about 1:15 a.m. Saturday, Stevens said.
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