Train Strikes, Kills Man in San Clemente

A homeless man listening to a cassette tape through headphones as he walked along a treacherous railroad curve was struck and killed Monday morning by a Los Angeles-bound commuter train.

The man, who was not identified by police but was a familiar figure to residents, apparently did not hear or ignored the screams of a witness who saw the train approaching at 70 mph.

The death, one of several along the tracks this decade in San Clemente, renewed debate over what local and state officials can do to prevent surfers, beachgoers and others from walking on the tracks.

“For far too long, people have had a cavalier attitude about walking on the tracks in that area,” said John Standiford, a spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns the tracks in the county.

“This is just another tragic example of why people have to respect the enormous speed and weight of a train. The train cannot move out of the way of someone, so people have to respect the trains.”

Standiford said the death occurred on “the primary north-south rail line through California” used by three dozen freight and commuter trains each day.

Metrolink plans to add more commuter trains in the next 10 to 15 years.

The man killed Monday was walking along the tracks between 9 and 9:15 a.m. just north of Cotton’s Point, formerly known as President Richard Nixon’s Western White House. More than 200 passengers were on the train, which was delayed 2 1/2 hours, said Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Fred Lisanti.

A train crew member sounded a warning whistle, witnesses told investigators, but it was too late. The victim was thrown 75 yards onto the boulders that line the beach side of the track.

His body lay covered by a beach blanket as joggers and surfers continued to run along or to cross over the tracks that run the length of the community.

“This loss of life underscores the urgent need to get the safety project underway,” said Bill Hart, vice president of the Derail the Trail project, a group of residents concerned about improving railroad safety.

“This is a huge problem in all of San Clemente. The tracks have been there since the days of the Wild West. They predate most of Southern California.”

Hart estimated that a pedestrian on the tracks at Cotton’s Point curve has less than 10 seconds to get out of the way of a fast train.

City officials agreed that the death could galvanize plans for possible gated crossings or other measures.

“This re-energizes our commitment to try to identify the appropriate crossings to ensure safety,” said City Manager Mike Parness.

City staff, council members, transportation officials and community groups will meet this week to discuss the problem.

News of the accident quickly spread to a popular stretch of beach known as the Trestles, named because the easiest way to reach it is by crossing the narrow railroad trestle a quarter of a mile south of Monday’s accident.

Jim Flores, 32, who has been surfing in the area for 20 years, said he has seen several train accidents in the city in recent years.

Among the other deaths on or near the tracks in San Clemente:

* Marine Sgt. Willis A. Towns, 29, who was stationed at Camp Pendleton, was killed Feb. 1, 1995.

* Esther Walocha, 70, of San Clemente was trying to cross the tracks in Capistrano Beach on Jan. 21 when she was struck and killed.

* Jeffrey T. Hutto, 21, was killed by an Amtrak train while trying to ride his bicycle across the trestle in 1993.

* In 1990, Adam James Ruley, 22, was killed as he and two friends were taking a shortcut to the beach.

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Times correspondents Jason Kandel and Chris Ceballos contributed to this story.