Motorist Killed in Moorpark Train Crash

A Metrolink commuter train slammed into two vehicles involved in a head-on collision at a railroad crossing in Moorpark on Tuesday, killing one driver who was pinned inside his damaged truck, authorities said.

The accident occurred about 4:30 p.m. when Arturo Bacilio, 24, of Sunland missed a curve and crashed his sport utility vehicle into the pickup truck at the Los Angeles Avenue crossing, just south of the Ronald Reagan Freeway, Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy Ed Tumbleson said.

The driver of the pickup, a 64-year-old Moorpark man who has not been identified, was still conscious after the collision but trapped inside his truck, according to witnesses. Passersby tried to free him but without success, witnesses said.

Moments later the flashing lights and warning bells of the crossing gate were activated, and a passerby ran down the tracks to flag the engineer of the approaching train, Tumbleson said. But the engineer couldn’t stop. .

“This tragic incident probably all occurred within just four or five minutes,” Tumbleson said. Bacilio suffered minor injuries. There was no evidence that drugs or alcohol had played a role in the accident, Tumbleson said.