SIMI VALLEY : Woman Sues After Son Killed by Train
A woman whose son was struck and killed by a Metrolink train near Simi Valley last spring is suing the city and other agencies alleging negligence.
Nancy Stephens has filed an $11-million lawsuit in Ventura County Superior Court in the death of her 32-year-old son, Darren Fisher. He was hit last May as he tried to pull his dog from the tracks near Santa Susana Park. Both Fisher and his dog died instantly, police said.
The suit filed this week alleges that the tracks should have been fenced off, and that a train whistle should have sounded to alert Fisher to its approach.
Marjorie Baxter, senior assistant attorney for Simi Valley, said the city should not have been named in the suit because the incident occurred outside the city.
“The city has no involvement in the accident whatsoever,” Baxter said. “In my opinion (the city) was erroneously named.”
The suit also names the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, Amtrak, the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
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