Multiple sources are reporting that a man was killed by a Metrolink train while walking his bike in Baldwin Park Friday night.
Carlos Jacinto DeSantiago, a 49-year old Norwalk resident, was walking his bike west on Ramona Blvd at Downey Avenue at 7:28 pm when he stepped under a railroad crossing arm, and walked onto the tracks in front of the oncoming train.
No explanation was given for why he stepped in front of the train, Metrolink #335 on the San Bernardino line. Witnesses reported that he went under the train after he was hit; Baldwin Park police say he suffered multiple injuries, and was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:01 pm.
With all due respect to the victim, there is no collision easier for a cyclist to avoid than a wreck with a train.
Unlike motor vehicles, which can roam freely throughout the roadway, trains are confined to a set space and a predetermined schedule. All you have to do is stay off those tracks at that time to avoid getting hit.
And the easiest way to do that is to never, ever ride or walk under, around or through the warning gates, or cross the tracks when warning signals are on.
Why DeSantiago didn’t do that will probably never be known.
This is the 59th cycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 16th in Los Angeles County. DeSantiago was the second cyclist killed in Baldwin Park in 2012, and the second SoCal rider killed in a collision with a train this year, both in L.A. County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Carlos Jacinto DeSantiago, and all his family and loved ones.
