Woman Dies Trying to Save Pet

A homeless woman trying to save her dogs from being hit by an Amtrak train was killed along with one of the animals Tuesday as dozens of horrified commuters looked on.

The woman, identified only as a 48-year-old transient, was crossing the tracks just north of the Santa Ana train station about 6:30 p.m., police said, when the wheels of the shopping cart bearing her belongings got stuck on the tracks. The woman had two dogs with her, including one tied to the cart.

As a southbound train approached, several passersby tried to persuade the woman to get off the tracks, said Cpl. John Tucker, a spokesman for the Santa Ana Police Department. “She just wouldn’t leave those dogs.”

The train, traveling about 40 mph, hit the woman, killing her instantly and dragging her about 30 yards. One of her dogs was also killed, police said, while the other was seriously injured.

“The engineer put the train in an emergency stop, but there’s nothing you can do,” Tucker said.

Chuck Zimny, a Metrolink transportation manager at the scene, said, “The train started putting the brakes on, but we came right up on top of her and struck her.”

“She waited until the last minute” to move, Zimny said, and “it was too late.”

Passengers on the train, bound from Los Angeles to San Diego, said the train came to a jolting stop and a crew member announced over the public address system that a pedestrian had been killed.

“We were horrified,” said Lou Watts of San Diego. “It was very sad.”

Beth Stephens said she saw the accident from a train window. “It looked like the dog was tied to her shopping cart and she couldn’t get it off the tracks,” she said.

About 80 passengers aboard the train were delayed for about an hour, Amtrak officials said, then transferred to another train, which took them to Oceanside. From there, officials said, they were bused to San Diego.

For about two hours after the accident, the woman’s body remained pinned under the wheels of the train as police officers and railroad officials sifted through her belongings, which were strewn along the tracks. Among her possessions were a backpack, crumpled papers, several tangerines and what appeared to be a typewriter.

Wire cutters were used to remove the crumpled shopping cart from beneath one of the cars. Eventually, the train pulled away slowly and the track was cleared.

Tucker said the woman was well known around the train station and had been warned about crossing the tracks.

“A deputy spoke to her yesterday when her cart was stuck on the tracks,” he said.