Man Dies After Being Hit By Metrolink Train

A man was struck and killed by a Metrolink train traveling 79 mph Wednesday, although the train sounded its horn to warn him off the tracks.

He was the third Metrolink casualty of 1998 and the 48th since service commenced in 1992, excluding suicides.

The man, whose identity was not immediately available, was hit shortly after 4 p.m. near Doran Street and San Fernando Road in Glendale, according to Glendale police. His body was thrown 65 feet from the point of impact.

“He was walking along in a railroad right of way,” saidGlendale Police Sgt. Rick Young.

“They were honking the horn at him and he continued walking and did not move off [the tracks].”

Young said police suspected the death was a suicide. But investigators were still trying to determine whether the victim, believed to be a transient, had trouble hearing.

Metrolink spokesman Don Patterson said there were no injuriesto the 25 people traveling to UnionStation on the train from Santa Clarita. They were transferred to another train and continued.

The accident caused delays of up to 45 minutes for Metrolink passengers on trains headed from downtown to the Antelope Valley and Ventura County, Patterson said.

“It was the third fatality for the Metrolink system this year. It’s a tragic way to end the year,” he added.