Man fatally struck by Amtrak train in Encinitas

A man was killed Thursday, Dec. 12, when he was hit by an Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train in Encinitas after he ran onto the tracks, county officials said.

The man, estimated to be in his 60s, was hit near the intersection of South Vulcan and East I Street, San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Abraham said in a statement. The call came in to the department just before 1 p.m.

Pacific Surfliner Train 777 was traveling north when it hit the man, said Jennifer Bergener, managing director for the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees the Pacific Surfliner service.

An engineer on the train saw the man run out from a patch of bushes near the tracks toward the oncoming train, according to Abraham. The train, traveling 70 mph, sounded its warning horn, but the man jumped in front of the train before it could stop.

He died at the scene.

Pacific Surfliner has been tweeting that multiple trains in the area are stopped “due to a trespasser incident.” Trains are stopped as authorities investigate the incident.

— Kristen Taketa is a reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune