Youth riding scooter killed in crash with MTA train in Watts
A teenage boy riding a scooter was struck and killed by a Blue Line commuter train Thursday afternoon at a crossing in Watts, authorities said.
The boy, whose name was not released, was apparently trying to cross the tracks on a nonmotorized scooter near East 92nd Street and Graham Avenue shortly before 3:45 p.m. when he was hit by the Long Beach-bound train.
Paramedics arrived, but the teenager died either on the way to St. Francis Hospital in Lynwood or shortly after arriving, according to various reports.
Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said the boy suffered “massive trauma.” A report from the Los Angeles County coroner’s office is expected to be released within days.
The circumstances of the accident, including whether any warning equipment had failed, remained unclear late Thursday.
Authorities said the incident will be investigated by the transit services bureau of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol and by safety specialists with the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Helen Gilstrap, an MTA spokeswoman, said southbound service on the Blue Line was stopped for 11 minutes after the accident, and one of the tracks remained closed for nearly an hour.
According to Gilstrap, this was the transit agency’s second fatal accident this month.
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