Irvine Man, 37, Is Identified as Driver Killed in Train Crash
A man who drove his van onto railroad tracks and was struck and killed by an Amtrak train Wednesday in Irvine has been identified as William Mark Barnett, police said Thursday.
Barnett, 37, of Irvine, worked for Coca-Cola Bottling in Los Angeles, authorities said.
The van ignited in a ball of fire after it was hit by a 15-car train headed south at 88 mph. The van became lodged in the front of the train, which took a mile and a half to stop, Irvine Police Lt. Sam Allevato said.
“We’re still talking to witnesses,” Allevato said. “But it was probably a suicide. . . . He had to drive around control arms and just stay put as the train bore down and hit him. He didn’t even move.”
Allevato said the van was “unbelievably crushed.”
The train, bound for San Diego, was carrying 140 passengers, only one of whom reported an injury, Allevato said.
The next southbound train could not pass until the tracks were reopened about six hours after the accident.
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