(Martinez, California – June 16, 2011)
For the second time in little more than a month, a person has suffered serious injury when hit by an Amtrak train at the Ferry Street crossing of Union Pacific Railroad tracks just east of the Martinez, CA station. The as-yet unidentified man allegedly walked in front of the Amtrak passenger train about 3:15 P.M. Thursday afternoon as the train was slowing down for the station stop.
Despite having slowed, the train hit the victim with considerable force, as one of the man’s shoes and his hat were found five yards apart. Following the accident, an Amtrak employee told Irma Baldwin, a passenger travelling aboard the train with her 3-year-old grandson, “that they hit a trespasser.”
The victim, suffering from undisclosed injuries, was taken to a local hospital. The Ferry Street crossing was the scene of a pickup truck/train accident five weeks ago in which a motorist suffered a broken leg when his vehicle was struck by another Amtrak train.