Cyclist Struck by Train at Santa Barbara Amtrak Station

A bicyclist was hit and dragged by an Amtrak train Wednesday morning as it approached the main Santa Barbara station. The cyclist was dragged at least 60 feet as the locomotive engineer hit the brakes.

The cyclist, 45, was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where he was listed in moderate condition. He remained conscious as rescue workers used tools to free him from the train’s undercarriage. His bicycle was nothing more than mangled wreckage after the accident.

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner was headed southbound from San Luis Obispo toward Los Angeles at the time of the accident, 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

An engineer on the train told investigators the bicyclist might not have seen the train, or thought he could beat it. The engineer pulled his brakes but had already slowed to approach the Santa Barbara station. Even at a slower speed he was unable to avoid hitting the cyclist.

Passengers on board the train were jostled as the train made an abrupt stop, but no one on board was injured.

Slideshow: Cyclist Struck by Train at Santa Barbara Amtrak Station

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