A woman believed to be homeless was struck and killed by a Metrolink train on Monday in Van Nuys, authorities said.
She was struck at 5:53 p.m. at 15101 Raymer Street, east of Sepulveda Boulevard, and was pronounced dead at the scene, said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Stewart initially said the woman was age 40.
Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said on Tuesday the woman is believed to be a transient and in her 20s. The woman was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. and the death was reported as a possible accident, Winter said.
No one aboard the train was injured.
Sgt. Mike Zaboski of the Los Angeles Police Department said initial information said the woman is believed to be homeless.
Witnesses on the train, Zaboski noted, said they were leaving the station and weren’t going “too too fast” when they saw a woman walking adjacent to the tracks.
The woman was walking away from the train when the train’s emergency brake was applied but she didn’t step far enough away from the tracks and was struck, Zaboski said.
“We’re investigating it as an accident,” Zaboski said, unless information proves otherwise.
There are a lot of homeless encampments near the train tracks and Zaboski said he has seen several deaths previously ranging from suicides to accidents.
“Unfortunately it happens along the urban railroads more often than it should,” Zaboski said.
He added sometimes people live in the right of way of the railroad tracks even though it’s illegal.
“We can’t always get them to move on,” Zabroski noted, “without taking law enforcement action. Quite often we arrest them and they’re right back as soon as they’re out of jail.”
Metrolink spokesman Chris Gutierrez said on Tuesday the crash was about a mile north of the Van Nuys station in “an area where wasn’t supposed to be any pedestrians.”
The spokesman said the crash involved Metrolink Train 119, which had 268 passengers board and originates out of Union Station in downtown L.A. before it travels to Ventura east.
Passengers were able to get on Amtrak train 792 toward Van Nuys, Gutierrez noted, while two other trains affected were able to find alternate transportation.
