Woman With Child Steps in Front of Train

A woman was killed Friday when she apparently stepped in front of a commuter train with a 3-year-old boy, whose leg was severed in the incident, officials said.

The northbound train was arriving at its first stop about 11 a.m. when the conductor saw the woman scoop the child into her arms, kneel on the edge of the station platform and dive under the train’s wheels, Caltrain spokeswoman Janet McGovern said.

Police said the train, bound for San Francisco, was traveling about 20 mph. The conductor applied emergency brakes and sounded the train’s horn but could not avoid the woman and the boy, believed to be her son.

“She jumped in front of the train,” Lt. Walter Rees said. “There was no time.”

Authorities said they knew of no motive. The woman was identified as Sri Banon, 36, of Campbell.

The boy was conscious after the accident and was transported to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. Hospital officials said Friday night that he was in stable condition and there was no attempt to reattach his leg.

McGovern said the incident was the eighth Caltrain fatality this year. Two of the deaths were ruled suicides, including one last week when a man jumped in front of a train in Mountain View.