Man Wearing Headphones Is Killed by Train in San Clemente

A homeless man listening to a cassette tape on headphones as he walked along a treacherous railroad curve in San Clemente was struck and killed Monday morning by a Los Angeles-bound commuter train.

The man, who was not identified by police but was a familiar figure to area residents, apparently didn’t hear or ignored the screams of a witness who saw the train approaching at 70 mph, authorities said.

The fatality, one of several along the tracks this decade in the scenic coastal city, renewed debate over what steps local and state officials can take to halt surfers, beach-goers and pedestrians from taking their lives in their hands by walking the tracks.

“For far too long, people have had a cavalier attitude about walking on the tracks in that area,” said John Standiford,

a spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns the tracks through the county.

“This is just another tragic example of why people have to respect the enormous speed and weight of a train,” he said. “The train cannot move out of the way of someone, so people have to respect the trains.”

Standiford said the death occurred on “the primary north-south rail line through California” used by three dozen freight and commuter line trains each day. MetroLink plans to add more commuter trains in the next 10 to 15 years.

The man killed Monday was struck while walking along the tracks between 9 and 9:15 a.m. just north of Cotton’s Point, formerly known as President Nixon’s Western White House. More than 200 passengers were on the Amtrak train, which was delayed 2 1/2 hours, said Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Fred Lisanti.

Someone on the train sounded a warning whistle, witnesses told investigators, but it was too late. The victim was struck and thrown 75 yards into large boulders that line the beach side of the track.

His mangled body was covered by a beach blanket, and it lay there as joggers and surfers continued to run along or cross the tracks.

Proposals to ensure safety along the rail route, which has been in use since the 1880s, have been hotly debated for at least 30 years, but little has been done.

On Wednesday, the City Council is expected to vote against continued work on a pedestrian and bike trail at the city’s northern end. The project is intended to provide a scenic, safe alternative path between the beach and the tracks, which run the length of the 4.5-mile community.

But two community groups lobbied hard against the trail, saying construction of a sea wall for the path could erode the entire beach. Bill Hart, a spokesman for one group, Derail the Trail, said he hoped Monday’s accident would spur a planned project to examine alternative safety measures.

“This loss of life underscores the urgent need to get the safety project underway,” he said. “This is a huge problem in all of San Clemente.”

Building a fence along the tracks, he said, would mean “fencing off an entire city.”

“That’s just not a feasible solution,” he said.

He figured that a pedestrian on the tracks at the Cotton’s Point curve has less than 10 seconds to get out of the way of a fast-moving train.

City officials agreed that the death could galvanize plans for possible gated crossings or other measures. “This re-energizes our commitment to try to identify the appropriate crossings to ensure safety,” said Mike Parness, the city manager.

Parness said city staff, council members, transportation officials and community groups, like Hart’s, will meet this week to address safety issues along the rail line.

News of the accident quickly spread to the popular surfing beach known as Trestles.

“In the 20 years I’ve been surfing here I’ve never walked the tracks,” said Jim Flores, 32. “I’ve seen several hits since I’ve been in town for the last seven years.”

Other railroad-related deaths in or near San Clemente:

* Esther Walocha, 70, of San Clemente was trying to cross the tracks in Capistrano Beach on Jan. 21, 1995, when she was struck and killed.

* Marine Sgt. Willis A. Towns, 29, who was stationed at Camp Pendleton, was killed Feb. 1, 1995.

* Jeffrey T. Hutto, 21, was killed by an Amtrak train while trying to ride his bicycle across the trestle in 1993.

* Sou Houekc Yean, 16, a junior at Fountain Valley High School, was killed in 1992 while walking along the tracks.

* Adam James Ruley, 22, was killed as he and two friends were taking a shortcut to the beach in 1990.

*

Times correspondent Jason Kandel contributed to this report.

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Fatal Accident Stirs Trail Debate

As city officials prepare to vote on plans for a pedestrian trail adjacent to the railroad tracks in San Clemente, a homeless man was struck and killed Monday by a train near Trestles Beach.