Pedestrian struck, killed by train in Oxnard in apparent suicide
A train struck and killed a 36-year-old man during an apparent suicide in Oxnard on Thursday morning, bringing train and vehicle traffic near the incident to a halt, according to officials.
Oxnard police responded to reports of the crash at about 8:50 a.m. at Gonzales Road and Oxnard Boulevard. Initial calls indicated a “patient down” about 10 feet from the tracks.
After the crash, the train stopped at Gonzales Road and Oxnard Boulevard and at Vineyard Avenue and Oxnard Boulevard, blocking traffic for hours, according to the Oxnard Police Department.
The death was later ruled a suicide, according to Brian Applegate, an investigator with the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Traffic signals were out near Vineyard Avenue and Oxnard Boulevard, causing traffic congestion. The intersection was cleared by 3 p.m., according to police.
Oxnard Police Department Cmdr. Robin Whitney said officers received their first call about two minutes before the crash that someone was sitting on the train tracks in that area. The next calls they got were that the same person had been hit by the oncoming freight train.
In January at the same intersection, a 75-year-old Oxnard woman and her dog were hit and killed by a train. At the time, Oxnard police said Kathleen Elo and her small dog were found struck by an Amtrak train. Those aboard the train were not injured, officials said.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, for both English and Spanish speakers, can be reached at 800-273-8255 or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Staff writer Jeremy Childs contributed to this report.
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